Teknisk Wereld
by Celtic Guardian 7
Summary: The perfect virtual world is great and all, but what will happen when it is used for evil purposes? Only a select few can hope to stop this evil... -COMPLETE-
1. It begins

Welcome one and all, to my new fan fic. Teknisk Wereld is Technical World in some other language. Which one, I forget. =/ This fic takes a more serious route than my other one, so be prepared for that. Now, here's what you need to know.

Some character's names are in my friend's fan fic. His SN is DarkFictionWizard. We have worked things out, and the end result is this: the characters will be VERY alike, but I CAN use them. If you like this fan fic, go read his. If you don't, go read his anyway. =P

Will I be writing my other fan fic? Yes. I will alternate between these two when I want to. If I feel like writing humor, off to my other one. If I want to write a duel, this one will be updated.

Constant updates, I can't promise, as many people know. _

Japanese names will be used in this fic. At the end of the fic, I might post a translation guide. There shouldn't be a need for it though; the effects will be explained clearly by the duelists.

Italics mean thinking. Bold means… stuff. _

That should be it for now. Enjoy!

***Prologue***

The date is in 21XX. Technology has advanced. Now it isn't all about real life. There is another world… the world of virtual reality. This world, called Teknisk Wereld, is accessed by using a special machine called an Envoyant Machine. Being in this world is just as common as being in the real one. 

People access this world when turning 13. People must be that old for a certain reason; it's a dangerous experience. Monsters roam freely, and most of them will not hesitate to attack. While there are safety measures to prevent death, serious injuries can still occur. It's not something to be taken lightly. 

What do you do in this world? Well, there is a popular game out called Duel Monsters. In the virtual world, you have a special duel disk. Playing cards on it allows you to actually summon the monsters. The game is much more exciting in the virtual world. Also, defeating the wild duel monsters sometimes results in rewards.

When a person finally gets access to the world, they get one card. That card is a monster card; you and your companion monster will remain bonded for life. People also carry around a 40 card deck (or more) to duel with. Many also secretly bring weapons. This is for safety purposes.

Indeed, it was great. But there was another problem. An evil organization is plotting to use this world for their own purposes. But nobody knows this yet… 

It was just a normal day for most people out there. But for Hope Gales, this was a very important one. She had finally turned 13! Now she could go to virtual world. She had been waiting ever since she had learned about it. Walking to the registration building, her heart began to pound with excitement, anticipating the cards she would receive… 

***Chapter 1: It begins***

Hope ran into the building, happily anticipating the cards she would receive. Her sister, Amy, had said that the monster companions people got were well suited for the person's personality. Hope had no reason to not believe this; her sister had gotten Big Bangirl, and she used a (surprise surprise) Big Bangirl deck. Hope had some idea of what she might get, but didn't want to make false conclusions in case the card wasn't available.****

She looked around once inside. It wasn't a very big room that she had entered. There was a desk to the right with a woman behind it, and three people in line. Three doors led off to other rooms, which Hope assumed were bigger than this one.  There was a few people running around, trying to sort out technical problems going on, fetching supplies needed, and running general errands, but not much activity here. She was slightly disappointed, having expected much more, but pushed it aside and went up to the desk to wait in line. After a few minutes, the other people had left.

"Excuse me ma'am, but I have just turned thirteen today. I came to sign up so I can go into Teknisk Wereld," Hope said.

The woman smiled at her. "Nice to see a new face. Ok, you see those three doors? Go into the one to the left. You'll find someone who can help there."

Hope thanked the woman, and went into the left door. This room wasn't much bigger, but there was another three doors leading away from it. 

_Geez__, how many rooms are there in this place? Hope couldn't help thinking. _

Another desk was in the right corner of the room, this time with a man behind it. She walked up to him.

"Sir, I turned thirteen today, and would like to sign up. Is this where I do it?" Hope inquired.

"Yes, this is the place," the man replied. "Ok, first I need you to fill out this sheet..."

"It's already done," Hope interrupted. "My mom picked one up for me a few weeks back to get a head start."

"Smart woman. Ok, then let me see it." The man examined the sheet, and then put it into a file cabinet. "That'll do. Now, here is a sheet of the rules in Teknisk Wereld. Please read over these carefully; breaking a rule too many times can result in you being banned from Teknisk Wereld."

Hope nodded. "Ok, is that all?"

"Three more things." The man handed her a box. "This is an Envoyant Machine. It's like a helmet. You attach it by strapping it to your head. It's pretty self explanatory. You MUST use this helmet to access Teknisk Wereld. I would tell you how it works, but it's pretty technical, so I'm not sure I know."

Then, he handed her another box. This one was long and narrow. "This box contains a Duel Disk. This can be used in real life, and in Teknisk Wereld. You attach it to your arm before entering Teknisk Wereld. When you arrive there, you automatically have it on you. This makes dueling very easy."

"And the other thing is?"

"Your monster, of course!" The man ducked beneath the desk, and pulled out a very large box. It held many cards. The cards were different than the ones used to duel, however. There backs were a mixture of black and white, instead of brown and black like normal playing cards. The fronts of the cards were what intrigued Hope though.

"What? They're all blank! How should I know which cards to choose?" she asked, confused.

"It's hard to understand, but apparently, once a card is inserted into a duel disk, the picture forms. The person who made them has descriptions on how it works, but nobody can really get what he means. Something about how your soul forms the pictures. I don't know! Just pick one."

"If you say so." Hope gave the boxes a hard look, stumped. What the heck did this guy mean? _Maybe I should just randomly pick one… she thought. So Hope plunged her hand into the box and felt around, trying to distinguish which one should be chosen. They all felt cold and lifeless though. _Hard to believe your life-long friend comes out of a piece of cardboard… it feels so dead, _she couldn't help ponder._

That's when she felt it. One card her hand brushed on felt... warm. It was like all the cards but this one were in a freezer, but this one had been left to warm in the sun for a few hours. Without thinking, Hope quickly grabbed the card before she lost sight of which one it was. 

_What was that about? Why is this card different than the others? It looks the same… _Suddenly, the card felt just as cold as the others. _That's really weird… should I ask this guy? Nah, no need to bother him. Amy should know. _"Thank you sir," Hope said politely.

"You're all set. Enjoy Teknisk Wereld!"

"Thanks," Hope said before leaving the room, and the building. She began walking home. 

_Forming from… your soul? That's weird, but if it's like Amy says, maybe it CAN be true. The warmth this card had might have something to do with it. But how is that possible? Aw forget it, I just want to get home and try this out!_

To be continued…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I will explain one card name now, since it might not be that clear. Big Bangirl is Fire Princess. Her stats: 1300/1500; Level 4; Fire Main-Type;  Fire Sub-Type. Effect: Inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points each time you increase your own Life Points.


	2. Rules And Instructions

Oh my gosh, another update in a time period of one day! Go me. _ This is a rather boring chapter, but it is necessary. Don't worry; things get more interesting in chapter three. ^_^

***Chapter 2: Rules And Instructions***

Hope had finally reached her house. It had seemed to take at least a week, even though it had only been about thirty minutes. She had too much to ponder. 

"Hi Mom, I'm home!" Hope called. When receiving no answer, she grew concerned. "Mom? Hello?!" She ran into the kitchen, and found a note. 

_Hope,_

_I had a meeting I have to go to for work. I'm sure you'll be ok, since you have that virtual world to go to. If you see Amy in it, say hello for me!_

_Love, _

_Mom_

"Gee, thanks for the warning Mom," Hope grumbled. Leaving the note on the table, she ran upstairs to her room to get down to business.

"Let's see… I should read the instruction manual first," Hope muttered. "I don't want to get banned my first day!" She dug it out of her backpack and began reading.

**INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR TEKNISK WERELD**

**Envoyant**** Machine: How to use**

**1. Put on head.**

**2. Attach with clasps. **

**3. Press the green button. You will now be in Teknisk Wereld.**

**4. When you wish to leave, call up a menu on your Duel Disk and press the blue button. You will automatically leave.**

**5. In case of an emergency, press the red button in your menu. **

**6. To remove, gently pull apart the clasps.**

**Warning: It takes time to get used to the transportation to the virtual world. Above all, DO NOT PANIC.**

"Give me a break…" Hope commented. "They just put that so they wouldn't be sued… ok, sounds easy. What now?"

**Duel Disk: How to use**

**1. Put arm into clasp.**

**2. Snap clasp shut.**

**3. You can use this in either the real world or Teknisk Wereld. To use in Teknisk Wereld, just attach before going. When you arrive, you will automatically have it.**

**4. To call up a menu, press the purple button.**

**5. To activate the Duel Disk for a duel, press the orange button.**

**6. Insert your deck into the slot just below the LP counter.**

**7. The front five spaces in the disk are for Monster cards.**

**8. The five slots on the side are for Magic and Trap cards.**

**9. An area on the side of your disk opens for a Field Magic card. To open, press the area that comes out gently, but firmly.**

**10. Fusion monsters are automatically formed when fused. **

**11. Your LP counter automatically starts at 8000. It resets every new duel.**

**12. The Cemetery is below the Deck Slot. Just slide in the card that was destroyed. If you use a card to retrieve another from the Cemetery, the disk will immediately eject it.**

**13. Removed from play cards go into the Cemetery slot as well.**

**14. To remove, gently pull apart the clasp.**

"Simple. Ah, here's something I wanted to see."

**Using Cards In Teknisk Wereld**

**1. To use a Monster or Magic card, hold it in the air and announce it's name. You may direct the card from there.**

**2. Trap cards must be triggered by an event, or by someone else. **

**3. This does not work in the real world.**

"No duh… good, here is the Soul Monster's section."

**Soul Monsters**

**1. Call upon your Soul Monster like you would any other card.**

**2. This will not have to be done again. Your Soul Monster can return to their Soul Card, but many do not wish to.**

**3. Your Soul Monster will be able to go between the real world and virtual world whenever they wish to.**

**4. Your Soul Monster will be your Deck Master when dueling. Each one has a unique effect; be sure to make use of it!**

**Warning: If your monster's Soul Card is ever too badly damaged (AKA torn in half) your Soul Monster will die. NEVER LEAVE THE SOUL CARD UNATTENDED TO! Monsters can also die in ways humans can. Treat them as humans when considering how they survive.**

"My gosh… that's scary to think about." Hope stared at the warning. "I had better be careful… ah, here we go…"

**Forbidden Actions**

**1. No weapons may be taken into Teknisk Wereld.**

**2. All laws from the real world apply.**

**3. You may not have your Soul Monster attack a human. They cannot attack another Soul Monster UNLESS in a fighting area.**

**4. You may not harm or steal another person's cards.**

**5. Smoking is not allowed. You cannot bring alcohol in either.**

**Failing to follow these rules will result in a penalty, possibly even prison or death.**

Hope snorted. "Like anyone will follow these rules. 'No smoking'? Like heck if anyone follows that! Meh, the rest is just copyright laws and some other stuff… well, I guess that's all that has to be done! Time to go to Teknisk Wereld."

After preparing her backpack, she put it on and walked over to her desk. Hope put the instruction manual on her desk and picked up her deck. Although she had played a few casual games with her sister, she had never played a serious duel. However, that didn't mean her deck was bad. She couldn't wait to test it out. She also slid the Soul Card into her pocket.

After inserting the deck into the slot where it was designed to go, Hope put on her Duel Disk. She got onto her bed and picked up the Envoyant Machine. After that, she then proceeded to attach it to her head.

"Let's see here… the green button, wasn't it? Ok, here I go!"

Hope pressed the button.

To Be Continued…


	3. Entering Teknisk Wereld, and Hope's Ally

I'm on a writing roll! ^_^

One note about the Soul Monsters: Their attack strength does NOT determine how well they fight outside of duels. For example, while a Blue Eyes White Dragon (3000) might beat a Black Magician (2500), the Black Magician might just as easily beat the Blue Eyes White Dragon. It all depends on how well they are at fighting. So, the more experienced, the better.

***Chapter Three: Entering Teknisk Wereld, and Hope's Ally***

Hope suddenly felt a very weird sensation. It was like part of her was being torn away, but she felt no pain. Just a sense of weariness. The last thing she saw was nothing but darkness.

Hope soon regained consciousness in a beautiful forest. The trees towered above her, looking as if they went beyond the sky. The leaves were a bright green, looking like glowing emeralds as a few sunrays hit the dew collected on them. The grass was the same shade of green, and looked very healthy. The only thing wrong with the forest was it was completely silent. There was no sound aside from Hope's steady breathing.

_What happened? The last thing I can remember was putting on the Envoyant Machine… Did I make it to Teknisk Wereld? No, this can't be it! It's too real! _Hope walked over to a tree and touched the trunk. It felt solid, and was as wooden as any tree she had ever felt. _Did something go wrong, or is this just too real for me to handle?_

She suddenly heard a noise behind her. Spinning around quickly, Hope sighed with relief when she saw it was only a cat. The cat stared, not moving at all. It was pitch-black with a golden necklace, a golden bracelet on its tail, and a golden bracelet with green beads hanging off it. What caught Hope's attention though were its blood-red eyes, not blinking at all. The cat held her gaze for a little bit longer, then turned around and left, disappearing into the forest. 

Hope wiped away sweat on her forehead. That cat had given her the creeps; she was sure something was wrong with it. Shaking her head, she decided to follow it. _I'm lost, so why not? Maybe it's a domestic cat, and it can lead me to where it lives. _So she nervously walked the direction it had gone.

After about thirty minutes of non-stop walking, Hope decided this was getting her nowhere. Nothing had happened, and that made her even more uncomfortable. The still silence in the forest was never interrupted, and that did nothing to help her mood. She was too uneasy to stop and rest though, and kept walking.

Suddenly, Hope saw something move. She looked over in that direction, but saw nothing. Shrugging, she continued walking, only to stop again when she heard another noise. She looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. 

Then, something jumped down right in front of her. It looked like a huge, purple beetle. It has six big, powerful-looking legs, and the front two were curved in, like that was how it could grab things. A huge horn was on its forehead, and an even bigger horn was on the very top of its head. It had two smaller pinchers, and yellow, narrow eyes that glared at Hope.

_Oh my gosh, what IS that thing?! _Hope thought frantically, trying to fight panic from overwhelming her. _It looks like a beetle… a very big beetle… how can this be real… no, this CAN'T be real… oh no, it's coming this way!_

The beetle gave a sound that sounded like as much of a snarl as it could give, lowered its pair of horns, and charged. Hope did the most natural thing; she ran for her life, backtracking where she had gone. Recklessly charging around trees, she gasped for breath as she continued to run, not hesitating at anything. The beetle was fast though, and Hope was tired from walking so long. The conclusion of the chase was obvious. Hope stumbled, and fell down to the ground in a small clearing. The beetle charged, and she barely managed to roll out of the way.

_What can I do?! There's no way I'm going to survive this! I'm about to die... no! I can't! There has to be something!_

The beetle charged again. Hope jumped out of the way and hit the ground again. The impact stunned her for a second. When she got her wits back, she began to look hastily around the clearing for something that could help. She despaired, seeing nothing besides grass.

That's when she felt it. A spot on her hip was warm. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out her Soul Card.

_Oh! I forgot all about this! This is my only chance… I have to hope this will help! How do I activate this again…?_

The beetle turned around and began to run toward Hope. This was her last chance to live. Hope grabbed the card, and raised it above her head. Her shout rang through the forest.

"Soul Card! I call upon your power! Please help defeat this beast!"

The card began to glow, too bright to even look at. Hope covered her face with her free arm. She heard the beetle stop, and assumed it was bothered by the glare too. 

Just as suddenly as it had started, the glow faded. Hope could hear the bug begin to run again. _This is it. I tried… now I'll die._ Hope, not wanting her last site to be a horn impaling her, kept her arm over her face. 

A horrible-sounding scream of rage came in front of her, then silence. Hope stayed still for a few seconds, panting heavily. Something was wrong. Why wasn't she dead? She had to see, so she brought her arm away from her face.

The corpse of the beetle lay there, dead. Blood streamed from a wound in its chest, apparently the only part it could be hurt in. But that wasn't what caught Hope's attention.

She was staring in the eyes of another person that held a sword, the point colored red.

To be continued…opHo


	4. Some Explaining

Argh. I stink at descriptions, so I'm sorry if the descriptions in this chapter are misleading. 

One other thing… at the end of the other chapter, FFN for some reason put the word "opHo" at the end. I have NO idea why. So don't assume that as something important. _

***Chapter 4: Some Explaining***

Hope stared at her savior. He stood about six feet tall, not including a green helmet he wore. On the left and right side of the helmet was a device that looked like a blade on its side. A red jewel was in the center of a silver band on the bottom of the helmet. He wore green shoulder armor, outlined with silver, along with another green, silver-outlined, piece of armor on his chest. The shirt he wore was like a brownish-red. Two iron bracelets were evenly spaced apart on his arms, and in-between them, his shirt was colored celadon. His pants were colored celadon too. He also wore brown boots, and a purple cape that came down to his ankles.  A belt made of metal and leather was around his waist. His hair was yellow and about shoulder-length. There was a purple mark on each of his cheeks too. Hope assumed he was human, but when she looked closer, she saw that she was wrong. His ears were narrow and pointed; not at all like humans. His orange eyes also gave the fact away that he was unlike anything normal she had ever seen. In right hand was a normal-looking sword with a silver handle, the blade gleaming silver. Blood dripped off the point. 

Hope was at loss of what to say, but the stranger saved her from having to try and think of something. "Are you alright?"

"Um… I think so… thanks for saving me," Hope replied cautiously. She was uneasy with this guy; what if he suddenly turned and decapitated her? She got the feeling that he wouldn't though.

"I am glad I could help," he responded, wiping the blade clean on the grass before sticking it back into the belt he wore. Hope felt better with it put up.

"Who are you, and how did you come here?" she asked.

The stranger gave her a confused look. "You summoned me of course. How else could I have gotten here?"

Hope felt pretty stupid. Of course; that's who he was… "You're my Soul Monster? I've never even seen a card that looks like you!"

"Look at the card. It should explain who I am."

Hope examined the card and was surprised to see the face wasn't blank anymore. Instead, it had the following written:

Elven Swordsman

Level Four

Main-Type: Earth

Sub-Type: Warrior

Attack: 1400

Defense: 1200

Description: An elf who learned to wield a sword, he baffles enemies with lightning-swift attacks.

The picture was blank though. Hope assumed that was because he was outside of the card itself.

"So you are Elven Swordsman?" Hope inquired.

"That is correct. However, each Soul Monster has a "nickname". Mine is Gaston, so you may call me that," he replied.

"I like that name," Hope said. Then she laughed. "It's a good thing you all have nicknames; I'd feel sorry for whoever got Dark Knight Gaia Of The Gale! What a mouthful!"

Gaston nodded. "You get the point. What is your name?"

"I'm Hope."

"That's a pretty name. Somehow, it seems right with you, although I can't explain why," Gaston said.

"Thanks," Hope said, her face turning slightly pink. Trying to break her uncomfortable state of mind, she asked, "Do you know where we are?"

"In Teknisk Wereld. What did you think?"

"Teknisk Wereld?! But everything is so real!" Hope said, shocked.

Gaston shrugged. "Good technology makes it look and feel real. There isn't really another way to say it."

Hope glanced over at the beetle and shuddered, looking away. "What is that thing?"

"A Hercules Beetle. Big and deadly, but their chests are very vulnerable," Gaston explained.

"I see…" Hope trailed off. 

"So, what do you wish to do now?"

Hope thought. "I don't know. I just appeared in this forest after trying to get to this world. I have no idea how to get out."

Gaston began walking. "It will do no good to just stay here."

"Good point," Hope said, following him. 

After a few minutes of walking, Gaston asked about Hope's family.

"Well, I my mom and dad are divorced," she explained.

"I'm sorry I asked," Gaston apologized.

Hope shook her head. "It's ok. I live with mom, although I see dad often. I also have a half-sister named Amy."

Gaston looked puzzled. "Half-sister?"

"My dad was originally married to another woman named Sandy," Hope explained. "They had Amy, and dad divorced Sandy. He remarried my mom, and they had me."

"I see," Gaston said.

"I just call her my sister though. She's twenty, and is in collage most of the time, trying to become an astronaut. If we're lucky, we might see her here. Her Soul Monster is a Big Bangirl."

"Ok, I'll keep an eye out for her," Gaston assured.

After a few more seconds of walking, they suddenly heard a commotion up ahead. A monstrous roar, and a clang of a sword was easy to recognize.

"What's going on?!" Hope asked, looking scared.

Gaston drew his blade. "Let's check."

They walked ahead, and saw that it was a battle between two monsters, with a spectator.

A huge, purple dragon was flying around a swordsman, trying to strike him down with a pair of mean-looking talons. It had four wings, and the dark-purple feathers on them looked dangerously sharp. The small orange jewel on its forehead gleamed in the sun as it came down to strike, a purple blur, with its red, bird-like tail standing out. It also had a tail that looked like a dragon's.

The swordsman jumped aside as the dragon came down where he was standing seconds ago. The swordsman's armor was a deep blue, with orange stripes in detailed places on it. A robe, the same shade of blue, was on his lower half as well as the armor. A helmet was also an accessory he wore; it curved forward and ended in a point. His sword looked very unusual, but also deadly. One side of the blade was flat. The other had a wave-like appearance; two sharp points came out from the blade. Two strange, green jewels were on the sword's more-flat side. His blond hair came down to a little bit more than shoulder-length, and his skin was a pale blue.

The spectator of the match was a human, but Hope had never seen anyone who looked like him. He wore a tunic colored green, orange, and brown in various places. He wore gloves and boots; the left boot and right glove were gray, while the right boot and left glove were brown. He wore a hat that was shaped circular that matched his tunic. His hair was white, with a short ponytail. What caught Hope's attention were the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. They were very deep looking, like if you looked too far you would lose your way in his mind. Right at this moment however, he didn't even look in their direction.

"Ruecian, let's finish this up!" the boy said. "We need to get to the town again!"

The swordsman nodded, and leapt at the dragon with an amazing speed. The dragon gave a squawk of surprise, but didn't have time to do anything else before the swordsman sliced him cleanly in half.

Gaston sheathed his blade. "Looks like there was no need for this…"

The boy turned around and walked up to them, the swordsman following. "Sorry we ignored you guys; we had to finish this battle. Sky Dragons are pathetic, but they can get nasty if you don't watch out."

"That's ok, I understand," Hope said. "I'm Hope, and this is Gaston. Who are you?"

"I'm Rue, and this is Ruecian. I recognize you as an Elven Swordsman Gaston, but I can see you don't know what Ruecian is. He's a Super Magical Swordsman-Black Paladin. Black Paladin for short," the boy explained.

"Nice to meet you two," Hope said politely. "We are trying to get out of this forest, but don't know which way to go. You mentioned a town. Could you please direct us?"

Rue thought for a minute, and then smiled. "I will do that, if you can do something for me."

"What do I have to do?" Hope asked.

"Just play me in a friendly duel," Rue said. "No stakes or anything; I just wanted to see how some arrangements in my deck work out."

"Um… I've never done a serious duel before," Hope said nervously. "I'm not sure I would do it correctly."

"Then it is better that you learn when there is nothing to lose," Gaston said sensibly. 

"Good point," Hope responded. "Ok, I'll do that." 

Rue activated his Duel Disk. "Then let's get ready."

To be continued…


	5. First Duel

Finally, we have a duel! Enjoy!

***Chapter 5: First Duel***

Hope: 8000

Rue: 8000

Hope activated her Duel Disk in response. "I'm as ready as ever."

"You do know our Soul Monsters are also our Deck Masters?" Rue asked.

"I read that," Hope said. "You up for it Gaston?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Gaston assured her.

"Since I don't really know much about dueling, can you go first so I can see?" Hope requested.

"Fine by me," Rue said. He drew his six cards and smirked. "This has got to be one of the best hands I've gotten in a while. Ok, my first move will be to summon the Skilled Black Magician! (1900/1700) His effect lets me give him a magic counter whenever one of us plays a magic card, max of three. So I will play Jar of Greed, draw my two cards, and give him a magic counter."

Hope frowned. "What do magic counters do for him?"

"You'll see in just a second. I play Angel's Gift. I draw three cards, and then discard two. I discard Killer Snake (300/250) and a Black Magician. (2500/2100) Then I play Early Burial! By paying 800 Life Points, I get any monster I want from my Cemetery in attack mode. I choose Black Magician, obviously. Now I can use my Skilled Black Magician's ability. I sacrifice him and the three counters to special summon a Black Magician from my deck! After laying a card facedown, I will end my turn."

Hope: 8000

Rue: 7200

Hope stared. "Wow! That was really quick."

Rue shrugged. "Black Magician decks are built for speed. So it is easy to get out a Black Magician first turn."

Hope grimaced. A steady stream of Black Magicians was going to be difficult to keep up with. She drew her card for the turn, and nodded. This card was strong enough to kill one of them. She would have to wait another turn before getting rid of the other.

"I summon Buster Blader in attack mode! (2600/2300)" Hope declared.

Rue facefaulted. "Let me guess; you bought an N-Gage."

"What did I do wrong?" Hope asked, confused. 

"Do you see the level on that card?" Gaston said. "The stars up on top of the card."

"Yeah," Hope said. "Why, does it make a difference?"

"The monster's level is how many stars it has. You can only normally summon monsters that are level four or lower. Level five and six monsters require you to sacrifice a monster already on your side the field for it, and level seven and eight require two sacrifices," Gaston explained.

"So I have to sacrifice two monsters for Buster Blader?" Hope inquired.

Gaston nodded.

"Then it's nearly impossible to play these!" Hope complained.

Rue shook his head. "This is going to be a long duel…"

"Well… oh, here's a level four monster!" Hope said. "I summon Iron Knight: Gear Freed in defense mode! (1800/1600)"

"Forget my previous question; I KNOW you bought an N-Gage," Rue retorted.

"You can only summon monsters in face up attack, or face down defense," Gaston said before Hope asked.

"Oops!" Hope said, blushing. "Sorry! Then in that case, I'll just lay a monster in defense mode. Then I lay one magic or trap card. I guess that's all I can do."

"I draw. And now I'll get my Killer Snake from the Cemetery."

"Wait!" Hope exclaimed. "How?"

"Killer Snake has one of the best effects in the game. Whenever he is in the Cemetery on my standby phase, I can return him to my hand. So in other words, he's almost impossible to stop!"

"But it's so weak," Hope said, puzzled. "Why would anyone want to play it?"

Rue sighed. "Because many cards state you have to discard cards for their effect. So it's kind of like paying off every debt a card requires."

"I see."

"I also have a bigger reason for using it, but I'll explain that later. For now, I will attack with my Black Magician! Destroy her Iron Knight… I mean, face down monster that I have no idea of what it is!" Rue said sarcastically.

"Very funny," Hope grumbled. "I activate my face down card, Change Of Heart! I order your Black Magician to attack your other one!"

Rue's patience snapped. "That's it. I am not continuing like this!" He threw a rule book at Hope, hitting her on the head. Ignoring her yelp of pain, he said, "Read that rule book, and then we will continue!"

Hope muttered insults under her breath, then began to read. After about an hour of questions and answers, she was ready to continue. 

"Now, as I was saying, I attack with Black Magician to destroy your monster, and then attack you directly with my other one!"

Hope: 5500

Rue: 7200

"I lay one monster face down, and end my turn."

"My turn." Hope drew her card.

Gaston looked at her hand. "Do you know your deck well?"

"No," Hope confessed. "I wanted to make a Warrior Deck, but my sister helped me find the cards for it." She read one of her cards carefully. "Cool! This monster will work. I can special summon Magical Giga Cyber when you have two more monsters than me, so I will! (2200/1200) Then I equip him with the card Thunder Sword! That raises his attack by 800! (3000/1200) He will attack one of your Black Magicians! Then I lay one card face down."

Hope: 5500

Rue: 6700

"Not bad," Rue said. "You got rid of my Black Magician, which is more than many duelists have ever done. But I'm afraid he'll only keep coming back. For now though, I will flip my face down monster; Tenacious Old Magician! (450/600) His effect allows me to destroy one monster on your side of the field!"

"Drat!" Hope growled. "I only had Giga Cyber!"

"That's right. Now, Black Magician, direct attack!"

The Black Magician raised its staff to strike down a painful magic attack on Hope, when suddenly chains sprang out of thin air and tied him down.

"I activate Curse Of Darkness, which stops your monster from attacking and lowers his attack points by 700!" Hope said. (1800/2100)

"Good job!" Gaston praised her.

"Not bad," Rue said. "I'll attack your Life Points with my Tenacious Old Magician." 

Hope: 5050

Rue: 6700

"I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Hope examined the card she drew. "Wow! This is a level four monster? But it's so strong!"

"It may be, but that's because of its effect," Gaston said. "It's worth trying anyway."

Hope nodded. "I summon Goblin Strike Team! Attack Black Magician!"

"I'm afraid that won't work," Rue said. "I use Cyclone on your Curse of Darkness, returning my Black Magician to 2500! Counter attack!"

The chains vanished, and the Black Magician leapt up and let loose a huge wave of black magic, wiping out the Goblins.

Hope: 4850

Rue: 6700

"That sucks. I lay two cards face down and end my turn."

Rue drew his card, and smiled. "If you are hoping those face down cards will protect you, think again. I summon Magic Warrior-Breaker! (1600/1000) When he is summoned, he gets one Magic Counter. While I could keep this counter, and let it raise his attack by 300 points… (1900/1000) I have bigger plans. I remove his Magic Counter to destroy your face down card on my left!"

Breaker ran forward and sliced Hope's Imperial Decree in half. (1600/1000)

"I will switch Tenacious Old Magician to defense mode, then attack you directly with Breaker and Black Magician!"

"Not today," Hope said. "I activate Cry of the Living Dead! Goblin Strike Team returns!"

Rue swore. "Looks like I chose the wrong trap… Black Magician attacks your Goblins and Breaker attacks you."

Hope: 3050

Rue: 6700

"I'll summon my second Goblin Strike Team! Destroy his Breaker!"

Hope: 3050

Rue: 6000

"I will just attack your Goblins with Black Magician."

"I play Jar Of Greed too!" Hope examined the cards she drew. _Wow, this effect is awesome! Maybe this will give me the edge… _"Now I play a monster in defense mode."

Rue looked at the card he drew. "This duel is over. I play Raise Dead! Come forth Black Magician! Attack her set!"

The Black Magician's magic attack dissolved the set easily. Suddenly, a ring of grenades appeared around the second Black Magician, and destroyed it.

"There's no way!" Rue protested. "You had no Trap cards down!"

"You attacked and destroyed my Executioner Makyura," Hope explained. "When sent to the Cemetery, he allows me to play one trap card from my hand, so I chose Destruction Ring! It eliminates one monster on the field and deals us both damage equal to its attack."

Hope: 550

Rue: 2500

Rue smirked. "Good play. I should have been more careful. But you still can't win. I'll just lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

Hope looked carefully at what she drew. "I also have Angel's Gift in my deck. I play it now!" She drew her three cards and grinned. "Perfect! I discard Buster Blader and Falcon Knight. Now I play Raise Dead on Buster Blader!"

"Hate to destroy your last hope-pardon the pun-but I use Torture Wheel on your Buster Blader! In two turns, you are dead!"

"Or am I? I use Cyclone! There goes your Torture Wheel. Buster Blader, attack Black Magician now!"

Hope: 550

Rue: 2400

Rue drew. "NOW it's game over. I summon Skilled Black Magician! And then I activate my face down card, Black Power Stone! It generates three magic counters. I can move on of these counters each turn, so I move one to my Skilled Black Magician!"

"That's a waste of time," Hope pointed out. "Even if you get a Black Magician out, you can't kill me with one attack."

"Just watch. I also activate Sealing Swords of Light. This card stops you from attacking for three turns, but all I really needed was the magic counter. Now I activate Miraculous Revival! By removing two magic counters, I get to special summon either a Buster Blader or Black Magician from my Cemetery! So my Black Magician returns! And then I equip it with Power of Teamwork, raising his attack and defense by 800 for every monster! Since I have two, that's 1600 more attack! (4100/3700)"

Hope shook her head. "He's right… that wipes me out."

"Go, Black Magician! Attack her Buster Blader!"

Hope: 0

Rue: 2500

Gaston shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more."

"That's fine," Hope reassured. "You were great, thanks!"

"Good playing for your first match," Rue congratulated. "You have potential. Now that you have fulfilled your end of the bargain, I will take you to town. Then you can do some serious dueling."

To be continued…

Note: If you don't get the N-Gage joke, then this is why Rue said that: It's an inside joke that N-Gages suck, and that if you buy one, you are a BIG idiot. So I hope that helps. _


	6. The Mysterious Duelist

No duel this time, but the next chapter will have one.

***Chapter 6: The Mysterious One***

"So you just got here today?" Rue asked.

They had been walking for a few minutes, trying to find the town. Rue and Ruecian led the way, Hope and Gaston following.

"That's right. How long have you been here?"

"About a year. I'm fourteen," Rue explained.

"Do you have any siblings?" Hope inquired.

Rue looked uncomfortable. "Yes. I have a sister named Claire, who is the same age as me."

Hope noticed how Rue looked, and changed the subject. "Where do you live in real life?"

"I live in Minnesota," Rue said.

"I live in Illinois, and I hate it!" Hope complained. "I liked Texas a lot more."

Rue shook his head sympathetically. 

Soon they arrived at the town. With skyscrapers, business buildings, and apartments, it looked just like any other busy street in the real world. Hope stared in amazement at all the Soul Monsters. Soul Monsters didn't come very often to the real world, so she had never seen anything like it.

"Well, I got you here. I suppose we should part ways," Rue said.

"Wait! I don't really know my way around Teknisk Wereld. Can Gaston and I please tag along?" Hope pleaded.

Rue shrugged. "I see no problem in that. You ok with that Ruecian?"

Ruecian nodded.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Gaston joked.

Ruecian shook his head.

"Oh, he can talk; he just doesn't feel like it," Rue said. "Now, onto business. There's a card shop in this town I wanted to stop by. I need another Black Power Stone, and I'm hoping they have one for sale."

"Wait! You can buy things here, and take it to the real world?" Hope asked, confused.

"Yep. Don't even try asking me why, I have NO idea how it works," Rue said dejectedly.

"Well, I might see a warrior I like…" Hope said. "Ok, let's go!"

After about ten minutes, they arrived at the card shop Rue was talking about.

"Hi Hector," Rue said to the man behind the counter.

"Hey Rue! Need more cards, do you? Oh, who's your friend?"

"I'm Hope, and this is Gaston," Hope said.

"Nice to meet you," Hector said pleasantly. "Anything in particular you need?"

"I need a Black Power Stone, and she needs Warrior cards," Rue said. 

"The common box is over there," Hector explained. "The rares are in this binder. And I had the feeling you would need a Black Power Stone Rue, so I thought I should hold on to one for you," he said casually, and handed Rue the card.

"Great! How much?"

"Take it, you deserve it," Hector said. "Hope, you can have one card too. Think of it as a welcome gift. Just look around."

"Ok, thank you!" Hope said happily. Then she went over to the commons box and began to dig through it.

Gaston picked up one card curiously. "Skull Servant? What the heck?"

Rue laughed. "Meet the worst card in the game."

Gaston quickly put it back. Rue joined Hope and looked at the commons also. He looked at each card quickly, which is why Hope almost missed it.

"Hey, wait! Rue, can I see that card you just passed? No, not Giant Rock Soldier! Yeah, that one!" Hope grabbed the card and stared. She couldn't believe what it was.

The Black Cat That Brings Unhappiness

Level Two

Main-Type: Dark

Sub-Type: Animal

Attack: 500

Defense: 300
    
    Reverse Effect: Choose 1 Trap card from your deck and put it on top of your deck.  If a [The Sleeping Valley of the Pharaoh - Necrovalley] is on the Field, you can put that Trap card into your hand. 
    
    "What's wrong Hope?" Gaston asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost." 
    
    "I've seen this monster before…" Hope whispered. 
    
    **FLASHBACK**

_She suddenly heard a noise behind her. Spinning around quickly, Hope sighed with relief when she saw it was only a cat. The cat stared, not moving at all. It was pitch-black with a golden necklace, a golden bracelet on its tail, and a golden bracelet with green beads hanging off it. What caught Hope's attention though were its blood-red eyes, not blinking at all. The cat held her gaze for a little bit longer, then turned around and left, disappearing into the forest. _

_Hope wiped away sweat on her forehead. That cat had given her the creeps; she was sure something was wrong with it._

**END FLASHBACK**

"You saw a Black Cat That Brings Unhappiness? Sucks to be you," Rue said.

"What's so bad about it?" Hope asked.

"It's said that if you see one, you will supposedly die in the most horrifying of ways. Like Hell itself destroys you," Rue said seriously.

Hope stared at the card she held. "I don't think I want this card any more," Hope said nervously as she put it back. 

Gaston picked up the binder and brought it to Hope. "Take your mind off of that by trying to find a card for your deck." 

She looked at the binder. "This card looks good," Hope said, taking it out.

Hector examined her choice. "Undefeated General-Freed eh? It is a good choice. Perfect for a Warrior Deck. Enjoy the cards you two!"

They both thanked him again. "Oh, any news?" Rue requested.

Hector nodded. "Apparently, an elite duelist passed by this town. If you want a challenge, maybe you can find him! Good luck though."

"Sounds great!" Rue says. "I've been looking for a challenge… what do you know about him?"

"Not much," Hector said regretfully. "It's rumored that he never leaves Teknisk Wereld though, and that his deck has an army of the most horrifying cards to enter Duel Monsters! Be cautious; he's also said to be ruthless. A guy who stopped by said he was headed toward the mountains."

"No problem," Rue said. "If we find him, I'll beat him. Come on guys, let's go." 

"Come again soon!" Hector called as they walked out onto the busy street. 

After leaving the town, they walked in the opposite direction of the forest. Soon, Hope caught site of the mountains, and gasped at their sheer height and beauty as the sun hit their snowy peaks. 

"We'll go around them," Rue said. "I doubt that duelist would be crazy enough to climb one of those mountains."

Hope had to give that to him. They walked for some time, but found nothing. 

"Hm… this might take a while," Rue said. "It's getting dark. I see a cave over there; how about we stay there?"

Hope nodded. "Ok, we can continue tomorrow."

"Continue what?" 

Everyone spun around. Behind them was a duelist dressed in the oddest of matters, in Hope's eyes. The teen wore an orange t-shirt and blue jeans, with a gauncho-style cloak. He also wore a sombrero that cast his face into shadows. Next to him was a very demonic Soul Monster. The creature had the structure of a human, but that's where all resemblances ended. He had two, huge black wings, and a humongous sword. He wore a long, red cloak, and a crown. His body was made of muscles and bones; he had no skin. 

Hope yelped in surprise, and Rue almost had a heart attack. Gaston and Ruecian both drew their weapons at the sight of the creature.

"Are you the mysterious duelist we heard about?" Rue demanded. "And what the heck is that Soul Monster?"

The man eyed them coolly. "Most likely, and he is Genocide King Demon; Olympion for short. Why do you wish to know?"

"I wanted to challenge you to a duel!" Rue said boldly.

"And why would I waste my time?" the man inquired. "I don't duel wimps; I have better things to do."

"Then it should be no problem, seeing as I am not a wimp!" Rue retorted.

"What are your names?"

"I'm H-Hope, and he's Rue," Hope replied nervously. 

"You may call me Max," the man said. He looked at Rue again. "It seems you are braver than your girlfriend there."

Hope blushed. "I protest!"

"I assume you won't take no as an answer, hm? Let's get this over with quickly, I have things to do," Max stated.

To be continued…


	7. Magic Users and Demons

Looks like it's time to have another duel. Enjoy.

***Chapter 7: Magic Users and Demons***

Rue: 8000

Max: 8000

They activated their Duel Disks. "I think my Deck Master should be obvious," Rue said. "So let's start!"

"Fine," Max said. "I will go first." He drew. "Looks like my Deck Master's ability will already take it's toll on you."

"Huh?"

"I drew X-E-N-O, (200/100)" Max said, showing Rue the card. "Olympion, do your thing."

Olympion ran forward and slashed Rue. Rue yelped in pain.

"What the heck was that for?!"

"Whenever I draw a monster that is a Demon Sub-Type, I get to draw an extra card, and inflict 500 Life Points of damage on you," Max explained.

Rue: 7500

Max: 8000

_Not good, _Rue thought. _That effect is way too cheap! I could lose in one draw if I have too few Life Points!_

"Ouch," Hope commented. "That one will hurt in the morning."

"Oh shut up," Rue said as he got up.

"I lay one monster in defense mode, and three cards face down. That will end my turn."

"Hm… I will play Harpie's Feather Sweep! That destroys all of your Magics and Traps."

"Did you honestly think I would leave my cards unguarded? I activate Imperial Decree."

"Did you honestly think I didn't prepare for that?" Rue mocked. "I chain with Cyclone."

"Damn… I lose Tidal Wave and Pit Trap."

"I will lay one monster in defense mode, and then I will lay one card face down. End turn," Rue said. It was a good thing that he had destroyed all of Max's Traps, but he was low on cards. That was bad.

"Heh, I drew Dark Necrophia," Max stated, showing Rue. Olympion slashed Rue as Max drew. "What do you know; I also drew a Giant Orc." Again, Rue was slashed.

Rue: 6500

Max: 8000

"What? How can…?"

"This effect is stackable. Don't worry though; I have plenty of Magics and Traps to stop the chain," Max assured.

"You…only play Demons?!" Rue exclaimed. "Then the rumors were right…"

"Indeed," Max said. "I will summon Giant Orc (2200/0) to the field, and then flip X-E-N-O. I get to take control of your face down card thanks to his ability. I will flip it to attack mode." Max gave the creature that formed a disgusted look. "A Killer Snake?"

"I wasn't about to lay a good monster down when I knew you had that thing," Rue pointed out.

"Clever, I suppose. Attack directly!"

The monsters ran forward to attack, only to run into a barrier and be destroyed…

"I activated Holy Barrier-Mirror Force! This trap destroys all monsters on your side of the field," Rue announced.

"In that case, I will lay two cards down and end my turn," Max said.

"I draw, and get Killer Snake back from my Cemetery," Rue said. "I summon Skilled Black Magician!"

"I will flip my Trap card, Ambush! I get to summon one Dark Type monster from my hand that is level four or lower. I choose Gil Gars. (1800/1200)"

"My Skilled Black Magician kills it!"

Rue: 6500

Max: 7900

"Then I lay one card down."

Max laughed. "Thanks for helping. I remove three monsters from my Cemetery to Special Summon Dark Necrophia! (2200/2800) Attack your Magician!"

"Not so fast Max; I activate Magic Cylinder! Your attack is negated, and you lose Life Points equal to your monster's attack!"

"I will just counter with Bandit's Swiss Army Knife. I lose 1000 Life Points, but I negate your trap."

Rue: 6200

Max: 6900

Rue drew, and grinned. "I play Angel's Gift! I draw three, and then discard Killer Snake and Black Magician! Now I use Raise Dead on Black Magician! Attack!"

Rue: 6200

Max: 6600

"I lay one card down, and then end my turn."

Max shook his head. "You idiot, just look at what you have done!"

Rue looked confused. "What?" 

Suddenly, a ghostly substance entered the Black Magician. The Black Magician walked over to Max's side of the field.

"What's going on?!" Rue exclaimed.

"When Necrophia is sent to the Cemetery, I can take one of your monsters as my own! But what I have planned is even better!" Max grinned in a bone-chilling way. "I sacrifice your Black Magician to summon Great Demon Gaazetto! (0/0)"

Rue stared at it. "What's so great about that thing?"

"Allow me to explain. Gaazetto's attack power is the monster's I sacrificed to summon it times two! (5000/0)"

"Holy cow!" Rue said, shocked. "Activate Bottomless Pit Trap!"

"How irritating. I lay one card down and end my turn."

Rue looked at his hand carefully. 

"I get Killer Snake back. I will lay one monster in defense mode, and lay one card down."

Max drew. "I got another Gil Gars." Olympion slashed Rue. "I summon Gil Gars, and attack."

"You attacked my Killer Snake again."

"Then I will end by laying one card down."

Rue: 6000

Max: 6900

"I play Jar of Greed. Then I summon Gemini Elf! (1900/900) Attack!"

"I will activate Attack Nullification. That immediately ends your Battle Phase."

"I lay down one card. Then I'm done," Rue said dejectedly.

Max looked at the card he drew. "Prepare to lose! I play Cry of the Living Dead! This card allows me to get one monster back from my Cemetery, and I choose Giant Orc! Now, I sacrifice him for Demon King of the Underworld: Ha-Des! (2450/1600) Now I play Force! I get half of one of your monster's attack power and add it to one of my own. I take Gemini Elf's, and add it to Gil Gars!"

"Not today," Rue said. "Ruecian, activate your special ability!" Ruecian ran up to the Force card and slashed it in half.

"What did you do?!" Max protested.

"By discarding one card from my hand to the Cemetery, I can negate any Magic card you play. So I discard Killer Snake!"

Max was unimpressed. "No matter. I will just attack Gemini Elf with Hades and your Life Points with Gil Gars!"

Rue: 3650

Max: 6900

"I get Killer Snake again. Now I play Early Burial, and get back my Black Magician!"

Rue: 2850

Max: 6900

"I will also play the magic card Thousand Knives! I choose on monster on your side of the field and destroy it. I choose Hades! Now Black Magician, attack Gil Gars!"

Rue: 2850

Max: 6200

"I play Jar of Greed, and then I summon Newt! (1900/400) I also equip him with Demon Axe! That raises his attack by 1000 points! (2900/400) Attack!"

"Ruecian, stop that Demon Axe!" Rue shouted as he discarded Killer Snake.

Newt charged at Black Magician, only to run into Ruecian, who cut the Axe in half. Then Black Magician counter attacked.

Rue: 2850

Max: 5600

"Argh, you can keep using it… how foolish of me. I lay one card down."

"I retrieve Killer Snake, and play Black Magic Curtain! At the cost of half of my Life Points, I special summon a Black Magician from my deck!"

Rue: 1450

Max: 5600

"Black Magicians, attack!"

"Think again," Max said. "I activate Torture Wheel! Now your Magician is trapped, unable to switch positions or attack. And every one of my Standby phases, you lose 500 Life Points!"

Rue swore. "So I only have two turns to live…"

Rue: 1450

Max: 3100

Max drew, and smirked. "I drew Dark Jelloid. If I draw another Demon, you lose."

Olympion slashed Rue as Max drew, and frowned. "Looks like you got lucky."

Rue: 450

Max: 3100

"All I will do is set a monster in defense. Make your last move!"

Rue drew his card, and stared at it. "There is no way I can win this turn… but I can at least tie!"

"What?!"

"I equip my Black Magician with Power Of Teamwork, (4100/3700) and then use Destruction Ring! I destroy one monster on the field, and we lose Life Points equal to it's attack!"

Rue: 0

Max: 0

Max shook his head. "It's been a long time since I tied or lost. I suppose you are a decent player."

"Decent?!" Rue complained. 

"I will only call you good when you can beat me without losing any Life Points."

"CHEAP SKATE!" Rue howled.

To be continued…


	8. The Elites, The n00bs, And The Audiance

This chapter is mainly an inside joke, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

***Chapter 8: The Elites, The n00bs, And The Audience***

"I've been going to Teknisk Wereld for about three years now," Max said. "I took many survival courses when I was still in school, so I am good at staying here for a long time."

It was night time, and the group had decided to stay in the cave they found in the mountain-face. Rue had gotten a fire going, and after some persuading, Max decided to tell a little bit about himself.

"Still in school?" Hope asked. "But if you are sixteen, shouldn't you still be going?"

Max nodded. "I should be, but I dropped out. I decided to devote all of my time to Teknisk Wereld."

Hope decided it would not be a good idea to ask further. "We heard that you never leave Teknisk Wereld."

"It's almost true. I stay in here for very long periods, only leaving when I have to."

Gaston looked at Olympion. "Great, now we've got two mutes in the group. Am I the only Soul Monster who can talk here?"

"Actually, Olympion talks to me telepathically. He's saying you should only speak when spoken to, or your mouth will get you in trouble," Max translated.

Gaston muttered a bit, and then fell silent.

"So why are you here?" Rue asked.

"I was looking for anyone worthy to duel," Max replied. "For the longest time, nobody has been able to beat me in a duel. I look for someone who can."

Rue nodded. "I see."

"I suppose I will hang around for a while," Max said. "We seem to have the same goals."

Hope didn't know why, but she was happy Max had said that. She had grown fond of him, despite how cold he acted.

*****

When it was morning, everyone walked back to town.

"Why are we going here again?" Hope asked.

"To hear if there are any more good duelists in the area," Rue said. "I look forward to it…"

Suddenly, a boy was running toward them. "You are looking for a challenging opponent?"

"Yes, who are you?" asked Rue.

"I'm Matt," said the boy. "Don't fight them; one uses the Blue Eyes White Dragon! He can't be beaten!"

Rue covered his eyes. "Oh gosh… it looks like there are some n00bs in town."

"What are n00bs?" Hope asked.

"Newbies are people who need help learning how to play. They listen to advice and eventually become good players. All of us were newbies at some point," Rue explained. "N00bs are just annoying bastards that don't listen to any advice, and think the Blue Eyes White Dragon is unbeatable, among other things."

Hope shook her head. "Sounds bad. Should we find these guys?"

"Don't!" Matt protested. "Not even my Gaia the Fierce Knight could beat him!"

They left him quickly, leaving him grumbling about how his Hyozanryu had failed.

They found the idiots pretty quickly. In the middle of the square were two kids. One wore a pink shirt and purple pants with flowers on them. The other teen had an orange shirt, and red pants. 

Rue cracked up at the sight of their Soul Monsters. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… cough cough… must… breathe… AHAHAHA! You're the two 'elite duelists' we heard about?"

Max gave the two teens a disbelieving stare. "A Skull Servant and a Dissolverock? Oh my gosh…"

"You shut up ! We can supa pwn any of you two !"

Rue laughed harder. "What kind of accent is that? And 'supa pwn'? Are you gay or something?"

"I'm not gay !" the boy yelled, then sheepishly said, "Just flamboyant …"

Rue fell to the ground in tears of merriment, while Hope couldn't help but snicker. Max even let a smirk slide. Rue finally got up, gasping for breath.

"Ok, we'll defeat you in a duel. Me and Max versus both of you. Who are you two clowns anyway?"

"I'm Caleb, and he's Ifrit !"

Hope stared. "What kind of a name is Ifrit?"

"I named myself after a flaming hot beast that can destroy anything, except a Blue Eyes White Dragon of course!"

"I can't wait to shut this little geek up…" Max muttered, activating his Duel Disk.

"I can beat anyone! The show has given me mad skillz!" Ifrit said arrogantly.

Rue almost dropped the deck he was shuffling.

Rue: 8000

Max: 8000

Caleb: 8000

Ifrit: 8000

"I'll go, then Caleb, then Max, then Ifrit," Rue said. "I summon Skilled Black Magician in attack, and lay one card down. That ends my turn."

Caleb drew. "I activate my Deck Master's ability ! I pay 3000 Life Points to fuse with my partner's Deck Master ! Now, we have the unbeatable Flame Ghost !"

Hope and Gaston tried not to snicker, while Rue just laughed outright.

Max drew his card, and smirked. "I drew Great Demon Gaazetto. Attack the gay one Olympion!" He drew again. "Hm, Dark Necrophia. Olympion, keep attacking the same guy. I draw again… Giant Orc. Again… X-E-N-O. Gil Gars. X-E-N-O.  Dark Jelloid. Cursed Gyura. Demon Soldier. Newt. Giant Orc. Ha-Des. Twilight Zone Trainer. Gil Gars. Newt. Gil Gars. Aw, now I drew Demon Axe. How much damage is that?"

Olympion stood over the unconscious form of Caleb.

Rue: 8000

Max: 8000

Caleb: 0

Ifrit: 8000

Hope and Gaston stared, amazed.

"Hey, I wanted to kill him!" Rue protested.

"First come first serve. I summon Newt, and equip him with Demon Axe. Three cards face down. Your move." He proceeded to discard nine cards to the Cemetery.

"I summon Lord Of Dragons, and use Flute Of Summoning Dragon! Summon two Blue Eyes White Dragons!" He drew eight more cards. "I play two more Flutes, for a total of six Blue Eyes! Now I use Raigeki on your Axe Of Despair! I lay five cards facedown. Then I activate Destiny Board, and play FINAL Message I. I win."

Everyone snickered. 

"Dude, you need the board and all the messages…" Rue said.

"No you don't, you only need two!" Ifrit concurred.

Hope couldn't help but laugh this time too. "Too… funny… can't… breathe…"

After some debating from Max (Rue was too busy suffocating), Ifrit finally gave up trying to win the argument and ended his turn.

Rue got up, still giggling. "I use Torture Wheel on your sixth Blue Eyes!"

"I use Mystical Space Typhoon on your ferris wheel!"

After getting over another laughing spree, Rue lay two cards down.

"I will summon Giant Orc. End turn."

"I attack with all my Blue Eyes and win!" Ifrit yelled.

"Holy Barrier-Mirror Force," Rue stated.

"I use Fake Trap on it!" Ifrit retorted.

Rue fell down laughing, and couldn't get up. Ruecian helped him up.

"I use Raise Dead on your Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Rue said.

"Oh no! I'll have to believe in the Heart of the Cards!" Ifrit yelled, horrified. Then an older boy ran up.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Please excuse him; he doesn't know how to play. Come on you stupid sibling!"

"That's not fair!" Ifrit protested. "I was about to win!"

"You mean lose, idiot. Now come ON!" the older boy growled.

Ifrit grabbed Caleb's unconscious form, and they beat a hasty retreat.

Ryu: 8000

Max: 8000

Caleb: 0

Ifrit: Forfeited

With the duel out of the way, Rue, Hope, and Gaston collapsed in hysterical laughter. Max even let out a smile of amusement.

To be coninuted…


	9. More Magic Users!

Ok, I REALLY hate chapter 5. I had to redo that stupid thing three times to make it legal! _ It's fixed now. You see, Mirror Force wouldn't work because of timing. It's a long, complicated ruling, and I'm not getting into it. Destroying Ring only works on your own monsters, so bleh. Kudos to DarkFictionWizard and CyberTigerAngel for pointing those errors out.

Prepare for another misleading description! YAY! _

***Chapter 9: More Magic Users?!***

After getting over themselves, they noticed that there were two other spectators watching as well.

The teen wore a long-sleeved, loose, light blue shirt, and light-brown shorts. He had dark brown boots on. He also had small pouches around his waist. His brown hair stuck out in various places, and his eyes were brown too. He carried a book too. Hope looked closer and saw the title was Loamhedge.

The Soul Monster looked very human. He wore silver armor with strange designs, and big, red jewels that seemed to glow. It covered all of him except his arms, feet, and face. On his arms were reddish-brown gloves that went all the way inside the armor. He wore boots also. A blue cloak went down to his ankles, and he wore a headband on his forehead with more strange symbols. He also had a sword; since it was sheathed, they didn't get to see what the blade looked like though. He had shoulder-length, yellow hair, and green eyes. 

The boy looked amused, and the Soul Monster was laughing outright.

"Hahahaha… hold on… hahahahahaha…. that… haha… has GOT to be… hahahahaha… the best duel I have EVER SEEN! Hahahahaha!"

"Oh give it a rest, Neo," the teen said, shaking his head. "I found it funny too, but you are taking it too far…"

"Who the heck are you?" Max asked.

"I'm Will," the guy said. "And he's Magic Swordsman: Neo. Neo for short. He gets amused WAY too easily…"

"Finally, a Soul Monster who isn't mute!" Gaston joked. "I thought I was the only one."

Neo had finally forced himself to stop laughing. "Nope, I'm definitely not mute! I personally think I talk more than Will, even."

"You probably have a point," Will said, looking bored. "Since you finished the duel, I suppose we will be going…"

"Hold on," Rue protested. "We just met! Why not a duel?"

Will shrugged. "Fine. Who am I dueling?"

Rue sighed. "Max and I have dueled a lot lately… Hope, you haven't. Why don't you?"

"Me?!" Hope exclaimed. "But… I'm still not good at it! I would lose!"

"Exactly. You need more practice," Rue pointed out.

"Let's do this, ok?" Gaston encouraged.

"…Ok…" Hope said reluctantly.

_Looks like I will finally get to see her deck, _Max thought.

Hope: 8000

Will: 8000

"Who goes first?" Hope asked.

Will had the answer ready. "I'll flip a coin. Heads, you, tails, me." He flipped it. They watched carefully, not even breathing, as the coin landed… And Neo collapsed laughing.

"It landed… on its side?!" Hope facefaulted.

"That's something you don't see every day," Rue commented.

After reflipping the coin and having it land on tails, Will made his move.

"I will play Jar of Greed. I set one monster, and place two other cards. That's all for me."

Hope looked carefully at her hand. She wasn't sure what to do about his face down cards, but she had a card in her hand that could help…

"I use Calling Reinforcements! I search my deck for one Warrior monster that is level four or lower, and add it to my hand! So I will get Goblin Strike Team, and summon it! Attack!" Hope commanded.

"I chain with Blessing of God, which gives me 500 Life Points every time I draw. The monster you attacked is my Saint Magician, (300/200) who's Reverse Effect lets me get back one magic card."

Hope stated the obvious. "Jar of Greed… I lay two cards down and end my turn."

"That's correct. I play it."

Hope: 8000

Will: 9000

"Now I summon Magic Warrior: Breaker. I remove his magic counter to destroy the magic or trap card to my right! (1600/1000)"

Hope smiled. "You hit a decoy; my Lightning Sword is gone." _When he attacks, I'll activate my Destruction Ring, giving me a clear field!_

"It's no use Hope. I will activate my Deck Master's special ability!" Neo's finger began to glow, and he sent the light toward Breaker. Breaker glowed and pulsed with the energy.

"What are you doing?"

"At the cost of 500 Life Points, I can bypass all of your monsters and attack one of your magic of trap cards!" Will stated. 

"But… no!"

"Breaker, attack it!"

Breaker's sword struck the Destruction Ring, and the card ejected itself from the Duel Disk.

"Magic cards are automatically destroyed, but Traps are shuffled into your deck."

Hope grimaced as she shuffled it in.

Hope: 8000

Will: 8500

"So I have to stick with force, huh… this monster will do… I sacrifice Goblin Strike Team to summon Undefeated General: Freed! (2300/1700) Attack Breaker now! End turn."

Hope: 8000

Will: 8300

"Good job, but it isn't enough. I set one monster, and one card face down. End turn."

"Hold on; Freed has a special ability! And I'm going to activate it!" Hope announced.

"That's right… you can choose to skip your Draw Phase in order to search your deck for a Warrior."

"I've made my choice, and summon it! Go, Initiate Troops! (1000/1000)"

"What do they do?" Will asked.

"I can offer them as a sacrifice to destroy one monster on your field, so I do so!" Hope explained.

"Ugh… my Holy Elf. (800/2000)"

"Geez Will, are you using a copy of my deck?" Rue inquired. "It looks like we both have all Magic Users!"

"What a coincidence," Will said dryly.

"Freed, attack directly! That's all," Hope said.

Hope: 8000

Will: 6500

"Good job, but I can't leave Freed there. I summon Black Forest Witch! (1100/1200) And then I equip her with Power of Magicians! She gets 500 more attack and defense for every Magic or Trap I have! (3100/3200) Attack Freed!"

Hope: 7200

Will: 6500

Hope shook her head. "That's bad… all I can do is set one monster down…"

Hope: 7200

Will: 7000

"I summon Royal Magic Library! (0/2000) Every time one of us plays a Magic card, he gets a counter, max of three. When I discard all of these, I draw a card…"

"And get more Life Points!" Hope groaned.

"Indeed. My next card is Clarity of Mind. This lets me get another Clarity of Mind from my deck, but I can only use one per turn. So one magic counter for me. Oh, about Neo's effect; any monsters with 0 attack can't kill a magic or trap card. Anyway, I will have Black Forest Witch attack your set!"

The Witch blasted away the set, and then was destroyed with a ring of grenades…

"A Destruction Ring? What?!" Will said, confused.

"You destroyed Executioner Makyura, which let me play a trap from my hand. Funny I drew my Destruction Ring again so soon, isn't it?" Hope said, laughing.

Hope: 4100

Will: 3900

"Good work; you found a way to get around Neo's ability. But you can only have two Executioner Maryuka's; it won't help forever. And my Black Forest Witch's ability lets me get a monster with 1500 defense or less when it is sent from the field to the Cemetery!"

Gaston looked at the card she drew. "Go for it!"

Hope nodded. "I summon Executioner Makyura!"

"What the?! No way!" Will yelled. 

"Attack the Library now!" Hope commanded.

"I activate Magic Cylinder! This trap negates your attack and deals you damage equal to the monster's attack!"

"Ouch…"

Hope: 2500

Will: 4400

Will drew, and showed it to Neo. "Think I should?"

Neo thought for a minute, and then nodded. "With some luck, it will work."

"I play Clarity of Mind, and then Raise Dead on Black Forest Witch! She will come back in attack mode. I switch my Library to defense, and ditch the three magic counters it has." 

Hope: 2500

Will: 4900

"Good, I drew exactly what I wanted! I sacrifice my Witch and summon Magical Marionette! (2000/1000) And then I activate Black Power Stone!"

"Drat!" Hope snarled. "More Tokens for your Library!"

"Actually, these Tokens will go to my Marionette!" Will corrected. "Everyone it gets increases its attack by 200! (2200/1000) If I have two, I can remove them and kill one of your monsters!"

"No way!" Hope said, horrified.

"I attack!"

The Marionette struck down Makyura, and then chains wrapped around its limbs.

"I activated Curse of Darkness, lowering its attack by 700. (1500/1000)"

"My turn is over…"

Hope: 1900

Will: 4900

Hope read the card she just drew. "This is perfect! I lay down two cards, and then summon Dark Knight Gaia of the Gale! (2300/2100)"

"That thing is way too strong though!" Will protested.

"It may be level seven, but its effect lets me Special Summon it when I have no cards in my hand! Attack the Marionette! And that's all."

Hope: 1900

Will: 4600

Neo took a swift glance at the cards in Will's hand. "Looks like we've won."

"Pretty much," Will agreed. "I play Clarity of Mind, and move one counter onto my Library from Black Power Stone. Then I play Sealing Swords of Light, stopping you from attacking for three turns. And I use my Library's effect."

Hope: 1900

Will: 5100

Will nodded. "This will finish you in one turn. All I need to do is set one monster."

Hope frowned. "All I can do is play one card down. I'm done."

Hope: 1900

Will: 5600

"I will flip over Tenacious Old Magician, and destroy Gaia first. Then I will sacrifice my Library for another Magical Marionette! The last counter from my Black Power Stone goes to it. Now, I pay 500 Life Points to have Tenacious Old Magician attack your middle card!"

Hope looked at it. "You've wiped out my last defense; that was my Holy Barrier-Mirror Force…"

"Magical Marionette, finish this duel!"

Hope: 0

Will: 5600

Hope sighed. "See? I knew I would lose…"

"You lost because you thought that," Gaston chastised her. "You have to think positively! You won't win otherwise!"

"Right…" Hope muttered.

Will shrugged. "In the end, it was a matter of luck. That was one of the best duel's I've had in a while."

"Thanks," Hope said. 

_What a rookie, _Max thought. _Not won a single duel yet… _

"Now that that's done, why don't you tell me about yourselves?" Will asked.

To be continued…


	10. The Man and The Child

Noooo, more description! _ I can't wait to be done with them for good.

Thanks for reviewing Void, Dark, and Inyou. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

***Chapter 10: The Man and The Child***

After the duel, they had decided to call it a day and go to a local hotel called _Electric Beacon_. Hope examined the sign outside, which showed a bolt of lighting.

"That's a weird name for a hotel. Why is it called this?"

Rue had the answer. "Once, a lightning bolt actually hit this hotel. For some reason, it didn't even get scratched though! To this day, nobody knows why."

Hope looked at it curiously. "Interesting…"

They walked in, and went to the counter. Hope insisted they take two rooms, much to Rue's disgust; he was paying. In the end, he forked over the cash, and they went upstairs. They walked into the first room, and got comfortable. 

"Will, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Rue suggested.

Will nodded. "I suppose I might as well… I have been going to Teknisk Wereld for about five years. I still go to college, but not as often as some. Yes, my whole deck is Magic Users. I have my own house. And I also have Neo, who…"

"…Acts like a nimrod?" Hope guessed.

"No. He IS a nimrod," Will corrected.

Neo pouted. "You don't have to be so direct…"

"Actually, I do, or else you wouldn't understand. Now, what are you looking for? You aren't just hanging together for no reason, are you?"

"We're looking for new duelists," Rue explained. "Hope still hasn't won yet, and she doesn't know much about this world. So me and Ruecian hang around to help her. I don't know about Max though."

"That's for me to know," Max said.

"Things have been getting boring lately around here," Will said. "I have nothing better to do; I suppose I could come with you."

"The more the merrier," Hope answered.

"Then it's settled. We'll leave early tomorrow," Rue decided. 

"Then I'm going to my room," Hope decided. "Let's go Gaston."

They left the boys to get into bed.

*****

Early next morning, everyone was up early. Well, everyone but one person and her Soul Monster…

"Argh! What is taking Hope so long?!" Rue complained. 

"If you are so impatient, why don't you go in and get her?" Max suggested.

Rue glared at Max. "All right, I will!" And he promptly opened the door, walked in, and closed it. 

The next minute, the others heard, to say at the least, a commotion. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" 

"I'm sorry! I just thought you were…"

"GET OUT! OUT!"

"I suggest we move," Will said dryly.

They made it out of the way just in time to see Rue get thrown out of the room and slam through the wall behind where they had been.

"I'm not paying for that," Max commented.

Rue got up painfully. "You jerk!"

"It's your own fault," Max reminded him.

"Before you ask, I'll explain," Rue said. "NEVER intrude on a girl when she has just gotten out of the shower."

Hope soon came out, leading a very confused Gaston. After Rue paid for the damaged wall ("In truth, you should be paying it Hope…" he complained), they left the hotel.

"So where are we going now?" Hope asked.

"I thought today we could just show you around this place," Rue said. "You had better get used to it; every time you come online, this is the town you will be in. Ok, you have seen the forest and the mountains. How about we visit the lake, and then we go through the forest to reach the canyons?"

"Sounds good, let's go!" Hope said.

*****

After some walking, they reached the lake. Hope gasped in delight. It was a big lake, with very pretty, crystal clear water. A few Sonic Ducks were on the lake, and some Quick Squirrels dashed around the pine trees surrounding the lake. There wasn't a cloud to the sky, making it a pleasant stay.

"If you think this is good, you should see it at sunset," Rue advised.

"I'll make sure I do!" Hope promised.

Their trip was slightly delayed when a Sonic Duck flew right in front of Neo, causing the poor Soul Monster to stumble and fall into the lake. After fishing him out, they walked on, ignoring his complaints. At dusk, they reached the forest, and began to walk through it. 

"It's getting dark fast…" Will noted. "How about we stop at the next good place?"

They agreed this was a good idea, and walked a little bit farther, into a clearing that Rue knew of. They walked into the clearing, and were surprised to see two people already there.

 The older of the two had a long, black cloak over a traditional Japanese school boy uniform. His silver hair that extended just short of where his neck met his back, some of the bangs falling into his eyes.  He had emerald green eyes, which seemed to pierce through the new comers. 

As mysterious as this teen was, his companion totally outclassed him. The young boy wore a simple, white robe. He had brown hair and brown eyes. His very being seemed to be made of pure innocence; one look in his eyes told as much. What attracted Hope's attention was a golden ball the boy kept tossing and catching. She could feel Gaston bristle beside her, and knew something was wrong with it.

There were also the two Soul Monsters. One was a huge dragon, a mass of green and bronze. Two proud wings were the same colors. Long, red hair flowed from its neck. Its head was a bronze color, and its red eyes were horrifying yet amazing to look upon.

The other Soul Monster looked much more human. He wore all blue, with gold armor in many places on his body. He carried a gallant shield, and a fearsome sword. He had long, red hair too; it was much more controlled though. Although the helmet he wore shadowed his face, his red eyes were barely visible.

"So, I wasn't just imagining things," the older boy said. "I did sense a great power coming." 

"Who are you?!" Hope asked.

"You may refer to me as Sarius. I already know your names; you are Hope, and your companions are Rue, Max, and Will. "

Hope started. "How did you know that?"

"He could have easily asked someone from town," Rue pointed out. "Don't panic."

Sarius smirked. "If you want to believe that, go right ahead."

Hope quickly interfered, to cut off Rue's angry retort. "Who is that boy? And how can he be here? He looks too young to be allowed in Teknisk Wereld!"

"The Child goes where I go," Sarius said firmly. "He and Cyrus assist Raid and I."

"Those are your Soul Monster's names? What are they?" Will asked.

"Messenger of Destruction-Chaos Emperor Dragon, also known as Raid. Messenger of Creation-Chaos Soldier, also known as Cyrus." Sarius thought for a minute. "I have seen all I need to know. Darkness is coming; I can sense it. You are the light that people will depend upon. I don't know if you will have what it takes, but we have nobody else to trust in these black times." He shrugged. "Come on Child; let's go."

"Wait!" Hope protested, but it was too late. A bright flash lit up the clearing. When it died down, they had vanished.

To be continued…


	11. The Villians Are Finally Revealed!

Yay, I finally got around to making villains! Can't have a good story without the bad guys, can we? _ 

***Chapter 11: The Villains Are Finally Revealed!***

Hope looked frantically around the clearing, but there was no trace that anyone had even been here.

"What the hell was that?!" Rue shouted. 

Max shook his head, and Will shrugged. Ruecian stared grimly at where they had been. Olympion stood as still as always. Neo growled deeply in his throat. Gaston looked confused, angry, and nervous all at the same time.

"Gaston… I noticed you were staring at that golden ball the kid was carrying. Is something wrong with it…?" Hope asked worriedly.

Gaston sighed tiredly. "I sensed something emitting from it… a great power…"

"As did I," Neo stated. "I have never felt anything like it."

Max stayed quiet for a minute or so, and then spoke. "Olympion has not either."

Ruecian sheathed his sword, still looking at where they had been.

"It will do us no good to worry," Will said. "I don't know what these forces that Sarius talked about are, but why be a nervous wreck just because of something one guy said?"

"I suppose you have a point," Rue admitted. "Let's make a fire, and camp here. We can continue tomorrow."

They all agreed that this was a good idea. Rue grabbed some rocks, and tried to make a fire, only to have a random spark hit a tree and start burning it. After some chaos, Will finally found a water bottle in his back pack and put the fire out. Max grabbed the rocks in a disgusted manner, and soon had a smaller fire going.

"Not my fault that I don't camp out often," Rue muttered.

Max just sat back under a tree and stared into the sky. Rue got out his deck and began making some arrangements. Will was reading something out of a text book.

"Will, what are you reading?" Hope asked.

"I have a test tomorrow for Computer Science," Will answered without looking up. "I have to study for it." He showed her the book: JAVA An Introduction to Computer Science & Programming (Third Edition).

Hope stared at him, and then slapped herself. "OH NO!"

"Now what?" Rue inquired.

"I forgot that school is tomorrow!" she cried. "Dang it! I have a collage I HAVE TO DO BEFORE TOMORROW! DANG IT ALL!"

Rue sighed. "I have school off tomorrow; teacher's conference. In other words, it sucks to be you."

"Shut up," Hope grumbled. "Will, when do your courses end?"

"By noon usually. I will be back around then."

"My school's time ends at three-thirty. So I'll be in Teknisk Wereld around that time. Rue, what about you?"

"My school is always done by at least three. So it looks like you will be the last one on!"

"Unfair!" Hope complained. "I have to go NOW! Or I'll never get that collage done in time! Gaston, do you want to stay here?"

"I suppose I will," Gaston responded. "Please come back as soon as you can, though."

Hope nodded. "Sure thing! How about we meet outside the hotel?

"That will work," Rue said.

See you guys tomorrow!" She pressed the Duel Disk menu button, and then the blue button. She then vanished.

Rue shook his head. "What a piece of work she can be."

Will shrugged, still not looking up from his book. "Indeed."

*****

Hope sat up in her bed, confused, and then blanched. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, and her whole body ached from lying there for so long.

"Ow ow ow… I need to eat first…" Hope went downstairs, and was greeted with another note.

_Hope,_

_I went to the grocery store and got soup, so you can have that. Crackers are in the cabinet. I went to a party some friends of mine are having. Get to bed early. I will be back at around __two AM__. I hope you had fun in the virtual world!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

_PS: Don't forget to brush your teeth._

Hope sighed in relief. "Good, I have time." She looked at the clock. "Yes! It's only ten! I can get a collage done by probably eleven!"

After Hope ate the soup, she began to search for magazines. When she was finally done with her collage, she looked at the time and resisted the urge to swear.

"One?! Aw man!"

Hope brushed her teeth, ("Mom would kill me otherwise…") and got into bed.

*****

It was seven AM when Hope's mom yelled up to her to get up. Grumbling in just plain sleepiness, she got up and began collecting things. At about eight, she ran outside. Half way to the school, she realized she had forgotten her collage. Snarling violently, she ran back home and got it. Dragging along her cornet, she ran into the school. After putting up the trumpet-like instrument, she ran to her locker, flung her things inside, and ran into her homeroom just as the bell rang. Panting slightly, she sat down in her desk, sighing in relief.

"Hi Hope!" It was Julia, one of Hope's best friends. She was just a little older than Hope, having gotten into Teknisk Wereld about a month ago. Her Soul Monster was the Harpy Lady; not too surprising, seeing as her deck was built around Harpy Lady.

"Hi! I got access into Teknisk Wereld yesterday, but didn't see you. Why?"

"I was busy; sorry I couldn't make it," Julia apologized. 

"That's ok. I've already made some friends; they showed me around." She paused. "Will you be on anytime this week?"

"Actually, Samuel wants to take me to the movies Saturday," Julia confessed. "I'll be busy helping my parents too; it's about to be my sister's birthday, and I want to help." Samuel played a Guardian Deck, which his Soul Monster, Weapon Summoner, went perfectly with. He was dating Julia, but nobody knew if Julia loved him or not.

"Remind me to get her a present," Hope said. "And please tell me when you plan on being there."

"Sure thing," she said.

*****

After a rather dull day of school, (although she did get full marks on the collage; the one highlight of the day) she began to walk home, muttering to herself. She was about half-way there.

_Gotta__ get there quick… or else they might leave without me… dang it! I'm almost there… just a little bit… hey, who's that guy?_

A man in very long, black cloak stood in the middle of the sidewalk. Hope couldn't distinguish any details about him; he was completely veiled by the cloak.

Hope slowed down, advancing cautiously. "Hello? Excuse me sir, could you please move? I need to get home."

"You won't be going home ever again, little girl," the man said. Hope started. 

"What?"

"You will be going alright… going with me!" The man grabbed Hope and pressed a cloth to her face. Hope's mouth was blocked by the man's hand, so all she could do was struggle, feeling herself get weaker. An unpleasant scent came from the cloth, and she felt herself getting tired… so tired…

*****

Damn it! Where is she?!" Rue complained.

"Remember what happened last time you said that?" Will said distractedly, reading Loamhedge. He had passed his test with flying colors, and was back to reading his favorite books.

"You be quiet," Rue grumbled.

It was four thirty, and they were waiting at the _Electric Beacon_. It was an hour overtime; what was keeping her?

"I'm really worried," Gaston said, looking tense. "I would be able to feel if she entered, but she must be still in the real world."

Max didn't say anything, but truthfully, he was worried too. Olympion just looked on, looking bored. 

Ruecian and Neo came back.

"Reporting back, Will. I found nothing."

Ruecian nodded.

"This is bad," Rue stated. "She would have probably sent a note to the hotel if she couldn't make it… so I don't know…"

"We don't have all day," Will said. "We can't stay here forever; the hotel manager thinks we are drug sellers."

Rue looked at Will. "Are you kidding?"

"I heard him say it inside. More sensibly though, it will get dark soon."

Max shook his head. "I suppose we should just…"

"Wait!" Gaston exclaimed. "I… I feel something… no!" He immediately ran off. 

"Where the heck are you going?" Neo asked, bewildered, but Gaston was already gone. 

"He might have sensed Hope entering," Rue said. He grabbed his back pack. "Let's follow him!"

*****

Hope felt tired. She didn't want to get up. She just wanted to lie there forever, never moving again, letting sleep claim her…

"Hope! Hope! Please, get up! Say something! HOPE!"

She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Gaston, looking extremely worried. 

"Thank goodness! I was really worried; you didn't move for at least ten minutes!"

"I'm ok… I think," Hope said. Gaston helped her up, and she looked around the area.

It was a cave, dark and cold. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. Water dripped onto the ground. The floor's dampness was explained by that. There wasn't much to see though; just darkness.

"What happened?" Hope asked. "What is this place?"

"It's a cave inside the mountain; I sensed you enter Teknisk Wereld. You're really late; it's five!" Gaston said, evidentially still worried.

Hope stared. "What? I didn't enter Teknisk Wereld! The last thing I remember was a man in a black cloak… he stuck a cloth in my face…" She remembered the scent, and gave a disgusted look. "Chloroform. That has to be it."

"What is that?" Gaston asked.

"It's a drug that can knock out people by its scent," Hope explained. "But how did I enter Teknisk Wereld?"

"That's easy to explain. I attached the Envoyant Machine in your bag and transmitted you here."

Hope and Gaston spun around. The man in the black cloak faced them. By his side was a Soul Monster that Hope did not recognize. 

"It's you!" Hope shouted. Gaston jumped in front of her, drawing his sword. The man laughed.

"Save your energy; I'm here to duel, not fight."

"Why should I?" Hope demanded.

"Because I am not giving you a choice," the man replied. He took out a switch, and pressed a button. Long, steel bars sprang up on one side of the cave.

"You're escape route is blocked. That is the only way out. To get rid of the indestructible Nightmare Steel Cage, you must defeat me."

Hope winced. "But…"

"We don't have any other option," Gaston said. "You have to defeat this guy! You can! No, you will! I know it!"

Hope thought. "Thanks Gaston…" Then she turned to the man. "Why do you want to duel me? And what does the winner get?"

"My reasons are none of your business. As for the latter, the winner gets freedom. The loser… dies."

"What?!" Hope yelped. "Are you insane?!"

"Not at all. That is the way we play. You must be eliminated early; yes, you and your pitiful friends."

Hope gritted her teeth. "Fine… I accept. One more thing though; who are you?"

The man strode forward, and threw off the cloak. He wore a long-sleeved royal-blue shirt, and black pants. He also had dark brown boots and matching gloves. His black hair went a little beyond his ears, and he wore a curious golden necklace. It had an orb that glowed red, as if flames danced inside it.

"My name is Zenith. I am one of the Generals of Hell!"

To be continued…


	12. Without Options, Loss Is Inevitable

WARNING: This chapter might offend highly religious people. I mean no offense!

***Chapter 12: Without Options, Loss Is Inevitable***

Ruecian walked over to the cave he had seen Gaston enter and pointed at it.

"So, this is where he went?" Rue asked. His Soul Monster nodded, and Rue sighed. "Good. I was getting tired."

Max walked in without a moment's hesitation. "Are you coming?"

They filed in the cave, and immediately realized a problem.

"It's pitch black in here!" Rue complained. "How are we going to find Gaston in this?"

"Anyone got a Dark Piercing Light?" Max asked.

"Nope," were the only responses he got.

"Great. Remind me to buy one when we get back."

Neo thought for a minute, and then said, "I'll go ahead and look."

"I'm not stopping you," Will responded.

Neo went off, and they stumbled blindly forward.

"I am really sick of this place," Rue complained after tripping for the fourth time in ten minutes. "Where has Neo gotten to already?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Neo came running back from the darkness.

"What the heck is wrong?" Will asked.

"Oh, it's just Dark Bats," Neo said sheepishly. "I can't stand the things."

Will facefaulted.

"So you came back to hold our hands?" Rue said sarcastically.

"Actually, I had an idea too," Neo announced. He held his finger out, and it began to glow, spreading light around them.

Rue slapped his forehead. "You JUST thought of this?"

"It's better than nothing," Will said. "Let's just go on…"

They kept walking forward, Neo in the lead, when Rue saw something. 

"Are those… bars?" Rue ran forward with the others, just in time to here a man speak. 

"My name is Zenith. I am one of the General's of Hell!"

"A General of Hell? What is that?" There was no mistaking the voice.

"HOPE!" Rue ran forward to the bars, and saw Hope facing a man. Gaston was beside her, and there was also his Soul Monster. 

It had the stature of a human, but nobody could call this thing a human and not be lying. Its blue skin stood out very well; all it wore was some form of a chest guard and a purple robe on his lower half. Large, silver claws gleamed in the darkness. One of its eyes was gone forever; its other one stared at the girl, the purple eye boring through her.

Hope turned around to look. "Huh? What? How did you find us?"

"We followed Gaston," Neo explained. "You could have gone slower you know…"

"My apologies," Gaston said, keeping his eyes on the creature.

Zenith looked at them and laughed. "Ah, your friends are here. What luck; I need to kill them too."

"What the?! Bastard!" Rue yelled. He drew a card from his deck. "Cyclone!"

The mighty wind tunnel hit the bars, but they held firm.

"Don't waste your time," Zenith taunted. "The Nightmare Steel Cage will only fall when one of us wins this duel. Of course, the loser will die."

"Hope! Why did you accept this duel? It's too dangerous!" Rue shouted. 

"It's either duel and pray that I win, or just die in here," Hope shouted back. "I prefer the former!"

"Actually, it's worse this way, you stupid girl," Zenith said. "When I defeat you, your soul will be helping several others I get to revive Satan himself!"

"What nonsense are you babbling about?" Max said coldly. "Satan? He doesn't exist. Nor does God. You are foolish."

"Or am I? When the sacrifices of defeated souls are made, Satan will arise. He will cast down all of those unworthy, and makes those who stood by His side kings! The Generals of Hell are here to revive him, and make sure nobody gets in our way! Like you four brats! I have Hell's own fire to guide me in my mission!" Zenith stroked the orb hanging around his neck.

Hope stared him in the eye. "Even if this is true, I won't let you get past me!"

"Big words for someone who has never won a duel," Zenith laughed.

Hope started. "How…?"

"You would be surprised at what we know. Enough talk; they say actions speak louder than words. They also say ladies first."

"How gentlemanly," Hope muttered as she drew. She looked at her hand and grinned. "Alright, a good hand! This is a first. I set one monster in defense, and lay two cards facedown. End turn."

Zenith smiled at his hand as well. "Well, this will be over soon enough. I play Steadfast Guard!"

"What does that do?" Hope asked.

"I look at your hand, and choose one card. You shuffle that card into your deck."

Hope grimaced. "I have Thunderbolt, Buster Blader, and Warrior's Return. So, you choose Thunderbolt?"

Zenith smirked. "You would like that, wouldn't you? Actually, I choose Buster Blader."

"Are you stoned? That's the worst card in my hand!"

"Ah, I have my reasons. Shuffle it in now!"

Hope did as she was told. "Ok, if you insist…"

"Hope, he's probably going to get rid of our Thunderbolt another way!" Gaston said.

"Exactly. I play Mischievous Demon Twins! At the cost of 1000 Life Points, I randomly discard one card in your hand, and then you have to discard another!"

"But that means I lose my whole hand!"

"You catch on quickly."

Hope: 8000

Zenith: 7000

"This won't bode well… Gaston, what should I do?"

"Pray to draw Jar Of Greed!"

"Very funny."

"I lay two card face down, and summon Critter! (1000/600) Attack the set!"

"You ran into my Iron Knight: Gear Freed. You lose 600 Life Points."

Hope: 8000

Zenith: 6400

He laughed. "It's of no matter. I'm done with my turn."

Hope drew.

"I activate my face down card: Lost Property! You must discard the card you just drew!"

Hope snarled. "That was my Black Hole…"

"I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?"

"I switch Gear Freed to attack mode! Now slaughter that Critter!"

Hope: 8000

Zenith: 5600

"Aw, what a pity. Actually, it helps me all the more. I get to choose one monster in my deck with 1500 attack or less and put it into my hand! Also, you activated my Deck Master's ability! The Hell Poemer! Go Poe, destroy the top card in her deck!"

"Huh?"

"Whenever you destroy one of my monsters in battle, Poe's ability activates. You are forced to discard a card in your hand, or if you have none, discard the top card on your deck!"

"I lose Executioner Makyura… End turn…"

Zenith drew again. "This is so much fun. I summon Don Zaruug! (1400/1500) Now I equip him with Demon's Axe! (2400/1500) Attack!"

Hope: 7400

Zenith: 5600

"Normally, I would have Don Zaruug get rid of a card in your hand, but since you have none, I choose to have you discard the top two cards in your deck!"

Hope looked at them, and then slid them into the Cemetery. "You got Buster Blader and Holy Barrier-Mirror Force."

"Then I'm done. And when you draw, I activate another Lost Property!"

"What?! No… that was my Goblin Strike Team!" Hope gritted her teeth. "I end…"

Zenith snickered. "This is way too easy. I have the card in my hand that will finish you right now!"

"What?"

"Allow me to introduce Eight Giant Crows! Whenever this monster hits your Life Points, you can't draw next turn!"

"But that means…"

"Then you will be locked down!"

Max shook his head. "A Yata-Lock… she's doomed."

"Maybe not…" Will said. "She still has one card down."

Zenith shook his head. "The idiot would have used it sooner, and I already got rid of her Mirror Force! Go my Eight Giant Crows, and Don Zaruug! Attack!"

Hope shook her head. "Who's the idiot? I use Cry Of The Living Dead, reviving my Buster Blader!"

Zenith swore. "I had you right where I wanted you! Ok then, no big deal. I will just switch Don Zaruug to defense and end my turn. And when I do so, Eight Giant Crows goes to my hand!"

"Say what?"

"It's a Spirit monster Hope. They go back to the players hand at the end of their turn," Gaston explained.

"Oh, ok. Now… I draw." Hope concentrated on her deck. This card could mean the difference between defeat and victory. She held her breath as she drew, and let it out when she saw what it was.

"I lay one card face down, and attack Don Zaruug with Buster Blader!

Hope: 7400

Zenith: 5400

"Poe's ability is activated. Discard your top card."

Hope looked at it, and smiled. "Thanks. You made me discard Undefeated General: Freed-how useless that would have been now! Anyway, I'm done."

"Good, because I just drew the card of your doom! I set one monster, and end my turn."

"Some card of doom," Hope said sarcastically. "I play another card face down, and attack with Buster Blader!"

"You destroyed Killer Tomato. With his effect, I get another Killer Tomato."

Hope was forced to discard Calling Reinforcements. "That's all for me."

Gaston frowned. "There's no reason for him to get another Killer Tomato… unless he plans to sacrifice it!"

"You are quite intelligent. I sacrifice my Killer Tomato… and summon Hellish General-Mephisto! (1800/1600) Now I play Demon Axe! (2800/1600) Attack Buster Blader! Since you have no cards in your hand to discard, I end my turn."

Hope looked at her next card. "…Good. I set this monster down. That's all."

"Idiot. I play one card face down. Now, I summon Eight Giant Crows! Mephisto, attack the set!"

Hope flipped it. "Oh well, there goes Falcon Knight. (1000/700)"

"And there goes 2100 of your Life Points."

"How?!"

"There's only one way he could do damage… Trample," Gaston stated grimly.

"Indeed. When my attack is higher than your defense, you lose Life Points equal to the difference! Now, Eight Giant Crows, attack!"

Hope: 5100

Zenith: 5400

"No… I'm left open!"

"Correct. I'll just keep repeating my deadly cycle. You can't win!"

"He's right… I'm finished," Hope said gloomily.

"No! You can't give up!" Gaston said. "What about your face down cards?"

Hope brightened. "Oh! That's right! I still have something I have been saving… Jar of Greed!" She drew the two cards, and shook her head. "It's no use… I've lost."

"Let me see what you drew," Gaston commanded. 

She showed him Surprising Matasa and Thunder Sword. "See? It's no use. And my face down card won't help. We've lost."

 Gaston grinned. "No, we haven't. Summon your monster. Now!"

"What?!"

"Just trust me!"

Hope's instincts argued, but in the end, her loyalty to her companion won. "I summon Surprising Matasa in attack mode! (1300/800)"

"You are more foolish than I thought."

"Or you just don't understand our strategy!" Gaston said. "Use the other card in your hand!"

"I equip my Surprising Matasa with Thunder Sword! (2100/800)"

"And your point it?"

"Gaston, what are you planning?"

"Well, did you forget that I have a Deck Master ability?"

Zenith snickered. "Like that will do you any good."

"Oh, it will. You see, my ability let's Hope, for the cost of 1000 Life Points, bypass your monsters if they are all in attack mode and hit your Life Points! My ability does only work for Warriors, but that isn't a problem, seeing as all of Hope's monsters are Warriors in the first place!"

Hope grinned. "So that's what you were planning! I see what you mean to do now! Ok, I call upon Gaston's ability to give to Surprising Matasa!"

Gaston threw his sword to the Surprising Matasa, who held it at the ready.

"Now, attack his Life Points directly twice!"

"What?! You can't attack twice!" Zenith protested. It was no use though.

Hope: 2100

Zenith: 1200

"Surprising Matasa can attack twice in one Battle Phase. Although I can only select one monster to use Gaston's ability on, the price increases by 1000 Life Points if I can somehow attack twice with that monster. It also seems that I have to pay an additional 1000 if that monster has an Equip."

"Very clever, I'm sure. It was a good duel, but now you have lost. Your Deck Master requires too much cost to use. All I have to do is lay this monster in defense mode…" Zenith said. 

Hope smirked. "Just what I was waiting for."

"What?"

"Reveal my face down card; Cease-Fire Treaty!"

"What does that do?"

"Well, it flips every face down monster on the field face up, and negates all Flip Effects."

"Then that was a waste! All you revealed was my Eight Giant Crows!" Zenith smiled.

"You didn't let me finish. The real reason I used it was because for every effect monster on the field, you lose 500 Life Points!"

"What?! No! That can't be!" Zenith shouted in horror as his Life Point counter went down.

Hope: 2100

Zenith: 0

Zenith sighed in deep regret. "I've lost, and failed my Lord. So I must reap the penalty. But you WILL be defeated… you will!"

After those words were spoken, two huge, black hands extended from the floor and grabbed Zenith and Poe. Their yell of pain was cut short as they were brought down through the ground.

Hope shuddered. "That's what would have happened to Gaston and me if we had lost…"

Gaston had, in the meantime, found the switch operating the Nightmare Steel Cage. He pressed it, releasing the bars. Rue immediately ran in, Will and Max following. 

"You won! I can't believe it! You actually won!" Rue said, amazed. "What a comeback!"

Gaston shook his head. "I can believe it. Hope has the ability to win; she just needs more confidence."

Hope shrugged. "That's one General down… but how many more are there?"

Will frowned. "Probably too many."

They spent a few moments in silence before Neo decided to suggest something. "Can we leave? This place creeps me out."

"Finally, something sensible," Will commented.

To be continued…


	13. The Clash Of Two Rivaling Monsters!

***Chapter 13: The Clash Of Two Rivaling Monsters!***

After a bit of traveling, the gang had left the cave they had been in. Hope decided to explain what had occurred.

"And that's all that happened before you guys came," Hope finished.

Will shook his head. "Sick. All that work, just to duel someone? These Generals are desperate. But why try and beat Hope? If they wanted to kill people for their souls, why not just take Caleb and Ifrit or something?"

Hope laughed, and then grew serious. "I have no idea. It's not like I have anything they could want, right?"

"I don't know," Rue shrugged. "I guess we will just have to be careful. Where should we go now?"

"Back to town," Gaston suggested. "We need info; would your friend Hector know anything?"

"If anyone does, it will be him," Rue assured. "I guess it couldn't hurt; let's go."

They walked in silence to the town, each immersed in their own thoughts. That silence was broken by something Neo noticed though.

"Isn't that smoke?" He pointed at the sky, and everyone could clearly see it.

"A fire? But why… oh no!" Rue exclaimed. He ran quickly ran toward where the smoke was coming from, the others following. They stared at the town.

"It's burning? A fire, but who started it?" Will pondered.

"This is bad!" Hope said. "What if there are people down there? They could get serious injuries in the real world! That fire is so hot, it's blue!"

Rue was already running down there.

What they found was nothing short of complete chaos. People, with their Soul Monsters, were running out of the town as fast as they could. Many others immediately teleported out of Teknisk Wereld. All the building were burning, and not stopping. A man's Soul Monster, a Thunderous Giant Water Snake, spat a whole stream of water onto one of the burning houses. The fire relented for a second, but then sprang back, angrier then ever. The Snake tried again, but this time the fire got even bigger, and burned it. Hissing in pain, the Snake vanished, most likely into its card, and the man ran. 

"Horrible…" Hope said softly.

"Who did this?!" Rue demanded. "The coward had better not have left!"

"Don't worry. I didn't leave."

A teen emerged from one of the burning houses. He had a cloak exactly like Zenith's, but he threw it aside. He wore a white shirt, and blue pants. He also wore white boots and blue gloves. His silver hair ended at his shoulders, and his blue eyes were very vivid against the flames. Standing by his side was his Soul Monster. The monster resembled a knight, with white armor, golden around the edges. He wore a white helmet, and a long, white cape. His sword seemed to emit a white light too.

"You did this?" Will asked.

"Yes. It was a simple task, with a little help from this of course." He revealed an orb around his neck.

"It's exactly like Zenith's!" Hope exclaimed.

"So you are the one who defeated him? What a pity. I was a friend of his; I will miss him dearly. But it was all for the better. He knows that," the boy said. Hope caught a trace of sadness in his voice.

Rue wasn't about to sympathize. "Who are you?"

"I am called Draken. I am a General of Hell, but I think you already guessed that. I just stopped by this town to kill a few people in this town for the ritual," he explained.

Hope gave him a look of disgust. "Are you an idiot? You can't kill people in Teknisk Wereld… you have to kill their living body!"

Draken smirked. "That's what you think. I wouldn't be so sure though." He turned around and grabbed something. He threw it at them. "Just look!"

They walked closer to look. Hope gasped, and then gagged. Rue yelled in shock and outrage. Will stared grimly. Max shook his head.

The corpse was barely recognizable; it had been burned so badly. Hope could tell that it was a girl, but barely. Another thump and the carcass of a Crown Taker Blue Wings landed beside her. Hope turned away and ran off to the side, unable to keep back the nausea that overwhelmed her from the sickening scent of the burned flesh. 

"You sicko!" Rue shouted.

"Yes, this girl is dead. She was naive, and treasured a man. Innocence and love are two good traits for the ritual. Not necessary, of course, but all the better." Draken laughed. "Her Soul Monster put up a good fight for something so small, though. I enjoyed ending its pathetic life. That bird will never sing again."

"That's it… you are going down!" Rue slammed the button on his Duel Disk. "There is no way you are getting away with this!"

Draken shrugged. "Be my guest. Just step forward."

Rue didn't hesitate to do so. Behind him, blue fire sprang up. Blue fire sprang up behind Draken as well. It was a ring of fire, with no exits. To try and jump it was surely death. 

Hope got up, weakly holding her stomach. Although the fire was too high for Rue to get over or around, the guys outside could see him. "No! Don't!"

"It's too late," Draken said calmly. "You have accepted my Death Duel. The winner will go free. Also, if you win, the fires will vanish. The loser will die, of course. You do notice these fires look interesting, don't you? They are the fires of Hell, waiting to consume helpless lives! And you will be their fuel!"

Rue shuddered. "I won't lose."

"Then keep denying it; we will see soon. Are you ready?"

"No," Rue answered truthfully. "But I have to."

Rue: 8000

Draken: 8000 

"I suppose I will go first," Draken said. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"That was a crummy move," Rue said. "I summon Gemini Elf, (1900/900) and equip them with Big Bang Shoot! So they get 400 more attack points, and a Trample effect! (2300/900) Attack his set my elves!"

"There goes my Quick Squirrel. (1000/100) What a pity…"

"You lose 2200 Life Points!"

"Ah, but I also gain 1000."

Rue: 8000

Draken: 6800

"How?!" Rue demanded.

"My Quick Squirrel lets me gain 1000 Life Points when it is destroyed in Battle, and I can also get two more. So I do so." Two more face down cards appeared on his field.

"Ugh… I lay one card face down then."

"My turn, is it? Well, I have drawn the perfect card to destroy your elves. While I would love to gain more Life Points for my two squirrels, it is simply too dangerous with them out. So, I will sacrifice both of them to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon! (3000/2500)"

Rue stared. "A Blue Eyes White Dragon? You run a Blue Eyes White Dragon deck?!"

"That is correct. My Soul Monster should have given it away. The Knight Of White Dragon, of course. Darche for short. Now, my Blue Eyes will attack Gemini Elf!"

The great, white dragon brought back its head and hit the elves with a very powerful burst of blue lightning. Rue blocked the light with his arm.

Rue: 7300

Draken: 6800

Rue drew, and frowned. "Not good. I lay down one monster, and then play Sealing Swords Of Light! This stops you from attacking for three turns. I end."

"Aw, it looks like you know you can't destroy my Blue Eyes. What a pity. The monster who I treasure the most will be the one to kill you, I suppose."

"You treasure that thing?" Rue asked. "Why? They aren't very hard to get; just get a Kaiba Structure Deck, and you have three."

"You know nothing!" Draken said angrily. "You think we are just freaks who do not have human emotions?!"

"…"

"Well, let me tell you something: this card is the only thing I have left!"

**FLASHBACK**

_A younger Draken entered a house, obviously his own. "Sister! I'm home!" He frowned. "Sis?"_

_There was no response. He walked into a room of his house. It appeared to be a family room. Draken suddenly gasped. Lying there, staining the carpet was a girl. She had long, silver hair, and green eyes which were closed. Her once-purple dress was now completely red, soaked in blood. She had apparently been stabbed in her abdomen. _

_"Sis!"__ Draken shaked her. "Please, say something!"_

_The girl opened one of her eyes. She attempted to speak, but coughed up blood._

_"Sis!__ Hold on! I'll call the hospital!"_

_She coughed a few more times. "…Don't…it's too late…" She coughed again. "I'm dying…"_

_"You can't be! You're the only one I have left! Don't go Sis!" _

_"I'm… sorry… her… take… this…" The girl weakly got an untouched handkerchief from the table and reached into her pocket with it. She brought out three cards. _

_"I wanted… to make a Blue Eyes… deck… for you… Since it… is your… favorite. Now it's… too late. Take… these Blue Eyes… Make me proud. Win all the duels you fight. I… know you... can. Draken… I… I love you." She shuddered, and collapsed._

_Draken looked at the cards, then at his sister, and burst into tears. _

_"DAINA!!!"___

**END FLASHBACK**

"Our parents had died when I was only six. My sister was murdered when I was eight. Daine was only thirteen. My heart was broken. I cried for weeks. After about a month, I stopped being weak. I grew furious at my sister's murder…"

**FLASHBACK**

_Draken ran down an alley, panting furiously. _

_"I must find… my sister's murderer…" He slammed his fist onto the sidewalk. "I'll never be able to find him like this!"_

_"Do you wish for me to help?"_

_Draken turned around, and saw a man in a black cloak. _

_"Yes sir, I'd like that. I want to kill someone…"_

_The man chuckled. "You already have violence and rage in your blood, plus the thirst for revenge." He paused, and then nodded. "You will be perfect."_

**END FLASHBACK**

"So my master took me under his wing. When I was nine, I finally got what I wanted…"

**FLASHBACK  
**_A__ man backed up against the wall, panting, shuddering, crying. Draken walked up, a knife in his hand._

_"No! Please! I only killed the girl because she rejected my request! She was so beautiful, I couldn't resist asking! She denied me, and my rage took over! I realize now that she was too young to be asked, but I couldn't oppose! I didn't mean to! Please, spare me!" The man could not stop shaking._

_Draken gave a nasty grin. "Spare you? Hah! How can you even have the nerve to ask that question?! My pain, my torture, my grief… was all because of you!" Draken took out the knife, and stabbed the man several times, savoring the screams of pain and blood that flecked everywhere. He didn't kill him though. No, he tortured him. Hours went by, and he wasn't done. The man was too weak with blood loss to even cry._

_"Your death is too close for my liking. It was fun while it lasted though. I saved the best for last though; don't worry!" Draken revealed a shining, fiery orb from around his neck, and muttered something under his breath. Blue flames grabbed the blood-soaked form. The man gave out a long, loud scream of pain. The worst part of it was Draken though, laughing as he watched the body burning into nothing Hell's Fire…_

**END FLASHBACK**

"It has been six years since then. The boss had fulfilled his part in the bargain; now it was my turn. I have killed many, savoring their cries of pain… their pleas for mercy… the warm, delicious blood. The one thing that makes me wish to live is killing!" Draken said with passion.

Hope was almost throwing up again. Max just stared. Will looked shocked. Rue was pretty close to getting sick himself.

"You are the sickest man I have ever met!" Rue shouted. "Your sister wanted you to be happy, but not like this! She would be disgusted with you now!"

"Shut up! You just don't get it!" Draken screamed in rage. 

"Oh, I get it. You are no better than the man who killed your sister! You both killed for pleasure!"

"You will never understand my motives! You have never had a sister killed! I can assure you though, you never will either! I won't be able to get to her before killing you…"

"NEVER!" Rue yelled. "YOU WILL NEVER GET TO HER! I WON'T LET YOU!"

Draken straitened. "Then let's continue. I summon Kaiser Seahorse and end my turn. (1700/1650)"

"Good. I flip summon Tenacious Old Magician! I choose to have him destroy your Blue Eyes White Dragon! Then, I sacrifice him for Black Magician Girl! (2000/1700) Attack his Kaiser Seahorse!"

Rue: 7300

Draken: 6650

"You did well to get her out, but it is all for nothing! I summon Knight of White Dragon!"

"How?" Will said. "That's a Ritual Monster; you didn't have any Rituals though."

"That's what Darche is for. I can summon my Knight without a Ritual, thanks to him. Now, I sacrifice it to summon another Blue Eyes! And I play the Magic card Burst Stream! It allows me to choose one monster on your side of the field and destroy it if I have a Blue Eyes out! That is all."

Rue shook his head. "Your lack of traps will be your downfall. I summon Skilled Black Magician! And then I activate Black Power Stone, and move one Magic Counter to him! I also use Thunderbolt to destroy your Blue Eyes! Now, I attack directly!"

Rue: 7300

Draken: 4750

"How fortunate of you. Too bad I have everything planned out though. I will lay one monster and one other card. That is all."

"I use Black Power Stone to move over my second Counter! Now I have three, so I sacrifice my Skilled Black Magician for Black Magician! Attack!"

"You killed my Black Forest Witch. May I go? I think I will; you don't have much choice in the matter! I summon Knight Of White Dragon, and sacrifice him for my third Blue Eyes! Now, attack Black Magician! Then I lay another card down."

Rue: 6800

Draken: 4750

"How ironic. A Black Magician Deck versus a Blue Eyes White Dragon Deck," Max commented.

Rue drew, and looked at his card. "Excellent. I use Cry Of The Living Dead, to revive my Black Magician! And then I equip him with Power Of Teamwork! (3300/2900) Attack the Blue Eyes!"

Rue: 6800

Draken: 4450

"Too bad that won't win you the match. I play Raise Dead on my Blue Eyes! Next, I activate Cry Of The Living Dead for another Blue Eyes! Finally, I use Early Burial for my last one!"

Rue: 6800

Draken: 3650

"Now, I activate Fusion! Fusing my three Blue Eyes together to form Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! (4500/4100) I also activate Stomping Crash on your Cry Of The Living Dead! It is destroyed, and you lose 500 Life Points. Now, ATTACK!"

The powerful attack hit Rue dead on. He fell backwards with a yell of pain. He would have landed in the fire had Ruecian not caught him.

Rue: 1800

Draken: 3650

"Why don't you just give up now?" Draken taunted.

Rue got up painfully, and glared. "I. Will. Not. LOSE!" He drew, and immediately played it. "I activate Black Magic Curtain! My Black Magician will come from my deck!"

Rue: 900

Draken: 3650

"And I activate Early Burial on my other Black Magician!"

Rue: 100

Draken: 3650

Draken shook his head. "You have sealed your defeat."

"You should know every magician has at least one trick left," Rue stated. He stuck the card in his Duel Disk. "I play Thousand Knives! Your ultimate beast is gone!"

Draken smirked. "Just try and attack."

"I know about your face down card, so I will use Cyclone!"

"No! My Magic Cylinder…"

"Now attack!"

Rue: 100

Draken: 0

Draken sighed, in a tired way. "Daina… I promised I would win… I'm sorry…" 

Rue stared at him. "I am sorry for how your life went."

Draken shook his head. "Save your breath… but do something for me." He threw Rue his three Blue Eyes. "Hold onto these for me. They do not deserve to be destroyed."

Rue thought, and then nodded.

Draken smiled. "It is time for me to reap my penalty." A single tear fell from his eye. "I'm sorry… Daina…" The blue flames grabbed him, and consumed his body, along with Darche's. They gave a long, drawn out cry of pain, before even their ashes were burned.  
To be continued…


	14. Getting Ready

Wow! I made an extremely boring chapter! It had to be done though. Just look on the bright side; the next chapter will be better! _

HitokageNoInyou: I'm glad you are happy. Thanks for the corrections.

Yoko Sereana Lita: Actually, I know nothing about .hack. So I didn't base this story off it. _ Final Fantasy 11? Maybe someday, but right now, I'm broke. *Shows everyone empty wallet*

Tragic4: Thanks! ^_^

Alright, let's continue!

***Chapter 14: Getting Ready***

Hope was shaking violently at what had happened to Draken and Darche. She wanted to run as far away as she could; only Gaston trying to comfort her kept her from sprinting out of the site of destruction. Will had a disgusted look on his face. Max was just looking on coldly. Rue seemed as if he was petrified. Then he looked down at the three Blue Eyes White Dragons he was holding. The only sign that Draken had ever been here; the fires had gone out, just as he had promised.

"I... killed him." Rue was visibly shaken at this. "I can't believe it… I killed him!"

Hope got up, leaning on Gaston for support. "No Rue, you didn't kill him. He killed himself. He set the rules for this game, and that was his downfall. He was going to die anyway Rue, someday."

"But still…"

Max's patience snapped. He stepped forward and grabbed Rue around his shirt collar, dragging him up. "Get over it! He was scum who needed to be disposed of! Just because you killed somebody doesn't mean you should commit suicide!"

Hope stared. "Max…?"

"Get over that idiot! It was him or you; who do you think has a better reason to live?! So quit moping and get back into gear! Do you understand?!" Max shouted. 

Rue coughed. Max's hold was too tight. Max dropped him.

"Max… what was that about?" Hope asked. "You sound like…"

Max glared at her, and she dropped the conversation, choosing to help Rue up. "Rue, look at it this way. If you put it that way, I have killed somebody too. But I don't think I did. It is their fault for what has happened. I know it might be hard to get over for a while; I felt kind of bad too. But if we had just let them go, they would have kept killing innocents. So in the end, you might be responsible for more than just one death."

Rue thought about that for a minute, and then nodded. "Thanks Hope. I guess you have a point…"

She smiled at him. "Good! Then we can decide what to do next."

Suddenly, two official looking men ran up to them. "What are you children doing here?! It is WAY too dangerous to be here! Get out!"

They knew it would do no good to argue, and began walking away. When they had gotten out of their sight, Rue stopped them.

"Let's go back and eavesdrop on those two men."

Hope gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you nuts?"

"We need more information, and only the officials will know it! I say we go back, and hope they say something we need to know of."

Will nodded. "It would be for the best."

Hope shrugged. "All right then, I'm game."

Max just followed them as they snuck behind the remains of a house. 

"There they are," Rue whispered. 

"-and so many lives are lost! This is crazy! You can't die in Teknisk Wereld!" the first man yelled.

"Apparently, you can. Please keep your voice down; this is supposed to be private," the second man responded.

"Well, sorry. But I'm just shocked. Who could have done this? The only people we saw alive were those four kids…"

"Cease that kind of talk. This was the work of an expert. Some duelists with Water-Type Soul Monsters said that they had tried to put out the fire, but it only fueled it. Those kids could not have any card that could do that, and their Soul Monsters could not have done it either."

"So what now?"

The second man held up a hand for silence, and took out a cell phone that was ringing. "Yes, this is James. What?! Are you sure?!" He paused, listening. "Unbelievable! Alright, we will get there as soon as possible. Yeah, Eric is with me. Try and find out more information; we will need it!" He pressed the end button. "Bad news. The security is down!"

"No way!"

"It's true. We have to get back to the Real World and help them get it up as soon as possible! That must be how most of this town was burned down; the person who did it could easily bring in a violated item without our knowledge!"

"This is serious. What did the Chief have to say about this?"

"He says there is no way we can get in online in at least a month! Guards will have to be transported to here, and arrest people on the spot with whoever has weapons, alcohol, and etcetera."

"Alright, let's get back then!" The two men pressed the menu button on their Duel Disks, and then teleported out.

The guys got out from under the house. Rue shook his head. "Unbelievable! The security is down? I thought that was impossible!"

Hope looked around. "Security? Huh?"

"There is a "force field" that surrounds all of Teknisk Wereld. It can sense whether you brought in a violated item or not. If you do, then officials will come and haul you off to jail. Not the most pleasant experience, by the looks of things," Rue explained.

"So our enemies are armed? Great. What should we do?" Hope said.

Will had an idea. "We go to the real world and stock up."

"Stock… up?" Hope inquired.

"Yes. Get weapons, extra cards we might need, make up an excuse to be out of school, thing like that."

Hope looked stunned. "Weapons? But what if we are caught? We might get arrested!"

"I know this," Will assured. "But I doubt that that will happen. Something very strange is going on, and I get the feeling the official will be more interested in it than in trying to find some people with illegal items."

Hope still looked uneasy, but nodded. "We will need a way to defend ourselves… I suppose it would do…"

"Tell you what. Everyone, come down to my house. I live in South Carolina, at this address." He wrote it down on some paper, and then tore it apart, giving a piece of each to everyone else. "That way, we can plan on what to do next."

"How am I supposed to get to South Carolina?" Hope protested.

"I will have a hard time too…" Rue agreed.

Will handed them both an envelope. "Cash for a plane ticket and a taxi is inside of those. Max, do you need one?"

Max shook his head. "I live in South Carolina too, actually."

"Here's some money anyway. Just catch a taxi. I will hope to see you all soon. Gaston, Ruecian, Olympion, I am guessing you would like to join us? Quit looking at me like that Neo, you are coming too."

"Sure," Gaston said. "I would like to see the real world."

Ruecian just nodded.

"Olympion will join us," Max said. "So let's get ready."

They all brought up their menus, and pressed the blue button. The Soul Monsters vanished after they did.

*****

Hope opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings. She was on a bed in what appeared to be a bedroom that had a wardrobe, a nightstand, and a dresser. Gaston was there too.

"This is your house Hope?" 

Hope shook her head. "Zenith must have brought me here. This is probably his house." She jumped off the bed. "Let's look around."

She searched the house, but there was nothing of interest until she entered a family room. She yelped in surprise when she saw Zenith lying on the couch. His body seemed to be in a weird position, his face a picture of pure agony.

Gaston walked over to Zenith. "He's dead, just as we expected. It looks like his spine had been snapped in half."

Hope shuddered, and walked over slowly. "What a horrible way to die." She then took the fiery orb off his neck.

"Why do you want that?"

"I thought it might come in handy," Hope said with a shrug. She also grabbed his long, black cloak. "We might need these some day. Gaston, what are you looking at?" She walked over, and saw he was looking at a book of some sort.

"It appears to be a journal of some sort," Gaston said, opening it.

"A diary…" Hope confirmed. "That's where people write about their life, the good and bad. As much as I hate looking into people's personal stuff, we can't turn away any kind of info." She slipped that into her back pack too. "Let's go to my house."

They arrived there in about ten minutes. Hope thanked her lucky stars Zenith lived in a neighborhood close to hers as she walked inside, Gaston following.

"Hi Hope!" her mom said. "Did you stay out late with Julia?"

"Uh… yeah, I did. Mom, this is my Soul Monster, Gaston."

"I'm pleased to meet you, ma'am."

"You too. I'm glad you got a polite monster, Hope."

Hope nodded. "Mom, I'm going to go to South Carolina."

"What?! Why on earth? South Carolina? Hope, that is utter nonsense! You have school to go to, and I'm not paying for a flight to South Carolina!"

"It's all taken care of. My friend has paid for the flight. I just need you to drive me to the airport."

"Why would you want to go?"

_Drat, think fast, think fast! _"Uh… um… er… A very good friend of mine… is ill! He had a disease that might kill him soon! This is my last chance to see him!" _Whew, that was close._

"That's terrible! What kind of disease is it?"

"Uh… I don't remember what it is called… you know how bad I am at remembering things!" 

"Wait… you have never been to South Carolina. How do you have a friend there?"

_Dang it mom! _"Uh… he was… a friend in Texas! Yeah! And he moved to South Carolina. We've been e-mailing each other!"

"And you never told me about him?"

"Er… I forgot to mention him… because I didn't see him very often… yeah…"

"Well, I guess it is ok. But come back when he is either better… or…"

"Yes mom, I know! So you will drive me to the airport?"

Her mom sighed. "Oh all right."

"Thanks mom!" Hope said happily. "I'll pack right now."

She walked off to her room, Gaston snickering.

"Very convincing speech."

"Oh shut up."

After packing away the stuff Hope thought she would need, her mom drove her to the airport. Gaston had gone back into his card for the ride.

"Welcome ladies. After you buy your tickets, and are scanned, you may go in."

After doing all that, Hope said goodbye and got on the airplane.

*****

Rue got up, unclasping the Envoyant Machine and his Duel Disk. He threw a few additional things into his back pack, and grabbed something from his closet. Afterwards, he immediately began looking around the house for someone, Ruecian following faithfully. He soon found her.

She wore a brown, long sleeved shirt, and brown pants. Over that she wore a long, purple robe. In addition, she had brown boots. She also had long, dark brown hair. In contrast to Rue's eyes, hers were a soft, light brown.  Her deck was an Angel Deck, as her Soul Monster showed. Heavenly Knight: Perseus-Perseus for short-was a great help to it.

"Hi Rue! Did you hear about what happened?" the girl said, sitting up from her bed.

"Claire! Thank goodness you are here. I was afraid you might have been in town when the fire had started," Rue said with relief.

"No, I was by the lake." She looked at Rue in a concerned manner. "It looks like you were there though. Are you ok?"

"How could you tell?"

"Your arm! Just look at it!"

Rue stared at it. When the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon had hit him near the fire, Ruecian must not have been able to stop his right elbow from grazing it. That part of his shirt was blackened.

"Funny… I didn't even notice," Rue said. "I'll switch clothes before leaving."

"Leaving? Where?" Claire asked.

"To go to South Carolina. A friend of mine thinks that I and my friends can help stop the people who started this fire. So we're going to his house. He gave me money for the tickets to the airplane, so don't worry about that."

"Really? You know? I want to come too! I can help!" Claire said, excited.

"NO!" Rue exclaimed. "There is NO way you are coming. It is way too dangerous!"

Claire bit her lip. "But…"

"No buts! You are not coming with me, and you are going to stay out of Teknisk Wereld until the danger is gone!"

"What?!" Claire shook her head. "There is no way I am staying out of Teknisk Wereld!"

"People are DYING, Claire, dying! I would never forgive myself if you died by the work of a maniac!" Rue argued.

Claire sighed. "All right... I'll stay out, but only as long as I have to! Promise me you won't get into trouble, ok?"

"I can't promise, but I will try my hardest," Rue assured. "You just stay out of Teknisk Wereld, and everything will be ok. Also, please be sure to tell mom and dad where I am, and stop the teachers from going after my blood, ok?"

Claire looked troubled, but nodded all the same.

"Just call me by my Duel Disk if you need to talk. Ruecian and I will be back as soon as we can. Come on Ruecian, let's catch an airplane." They walked off towards the front door.

"Wait!" Claire shouted. Rue stopped and looked at her as she ran up. "Take this card. It will help you," Claire assured him. "When you see it, think of me."

Rue smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry. I won't forget. Thanks for the card." Without looking at it, he stuck it into his Duel Disk. "I'll be sure to examine it later. Oh, and one other thing. I don't care about what really happened; in my heart, you are, and will always be my sister." With that, he and Ruecian left.

Claire was unable to stop a single tear from coursing down her cheek.

Rue stared at the weapon he had brought a block from the airport. "Dang! How am I going to hide this from security Ruecian?"

Ruecian simply picked up the weapon and grabbed Will's address from Rue. Before he could protest, Ruecian made a few gestures, and the weapon was gone.

"A teleportation spell? Ruecian, you own!"

Ruecian gave a small smile, and vanished into the Soul Card.

Rue got in without a hitch, and was soon on the airplane, its destination South Carolina.

*****

"OW! DANG! I need to quit doing this… OW!"

Olympion just stared at Max as he got up and walked downstairs, still complaining.

"Man… going a week without food and water can really take it out of you…"

Max spent about an hour eating various things before feeling well enough to go to Will's house. After collecting the things he thought he would need, he quickly caught a taxi, and he was on his way.

*****

Will got up slowly, and went downstairs, followed by Neo.

"When will they get here Will?"

"Max might be here in an hour or less. The others will make it in a few hours. In the meantime, I need to neaten up the house and find those weapons…"

To be continued…


	15. Finishing Getting Ready

This chapter is mainly to just get all side info out of the way. After this, we move on. Yay!

***Chapter 15: Finishing Getting Ready***

Hope walked up to Will's house and knocked, Gaston following. Will came immediately, opening the door. "Hey Hope, hey Gaston. Come on in; everyone else is here already."

Hope walked in and looked around. The house was pretty plain; just a few pieces of furniture, a few pictures, and other natural stuff were in it, it seemed. There was one distinguishing feature though: the amount of books. There had to be at least one thousand books, probably more, in Hope's eyes. You couldn't look anywhere without seeing a book. 

Will led them upstairs, to what seemed to be his room. Sure enough, everyone else was there. 

"Hey Hope, what took you so long?" Rue asked.

"Oh, I accidentally gave my taxi driver the wrong directions," Hope said in an embarrassed tone. "So it took a little bit longer than it should… Rue, what on earth is that?"

Rue picked it up with one hand. "What does it look like?"

Rue was holding the biggest battle ax Hope had ever seen. Not even the TV shows she watched had anything this big. It was as tall as him, and the circular area that held the sharp, vicious blade was bigger than his head. Its handle was red. There was a red line that somewhat "outlined" the side of the ax with the blade, although it didn't outline the blade itself. The blade and the rest of the ax were grey.

"Geez Rue!" Hope exclaimed. "How on earth can you carry it?"

Rue shrugged. "I guess I'm just really strong." He then promptly dropped it on his foot and yelped in pain. 

"Or not," Will commented. "You're just lucky your foot missed the blade."

"Aw shut up," Rue grumbled, putting the ax against the wall. "So, what did everyone else bring?"

Max drew a long, silver katana and showed to everyone before sheathing it again.

Will took out a bunch of small, silver kunai. "These can be handy for sneak attacks. Just look!" Will proceeded to stow some up his shirt sleeves, some down in his boots, and the rest in the pouches at his sides.

Hope nodded, and then brought out a bow and a quiver of arrows. "I couldn't bring a weapon on the airplane, so I stopped by a store and got these. I've taken a few lessons in archery from my dad, so I know how to use it somewhat." Hope suddenly looked puzzled. "Rue, how did you get that battle ax onto your plane?"

"Ruecian teleported it here," Rue said, snickering.__

"I should say he did," Will agreed. "You all should have been here when it arrived!"

**FLASHBACK**

_"I know I put those kunai SOMEWHERE," Will complained, looking through another box in his attic. "It's here somewhere..."_

_Neo ran inside. "Found them yet?"_

_Will shook his head. "Nope..."_

_Neo suddenly gave a shout of pain as a giant battle ax came out of nowhere, flattening him._

**END FLASHBACK**

"…It wasn't that funny," Neo muttered.

"Yes it was," Will smirked. "But enough of that. I'm going to check the news. You guys can sleep in these sleeping bags I have in my room; I'll set them up."

"I want to see the news too," Hope said. "You can set those things up later."

Will led them downstairs to what appeared to be a living room, and turned on the TV. A reporter was hastily reading off something on a paper.

_"-assuring that the problem will be taken care of soon. As of now, NOBODY should enter Teknisk Wereld, as deaths can occur." _The camera panned to show a very badly burnt girl. Hope immediately recognized it as the girl they had seen in Teknisk Wereld. _"Mary-Elizabeth is an example of one of the twenty casualties that occurred when most of __Tecnico__Town__ was burned to the ground. There are no culprits yet. Guards will be issued to the premises to escort anyone entering, or still in, into the real world.  More will be announced later. Now, onto sports…"_

Will shut it off in disgust. "Leave it to them to give us little information. Well, I say we get to bed. We can eat in the morning, and then go to Teknisk Wereld. I don't know how long we will be able to stay without having to leave, but we should be ready for the worst."

Everyone agreed to Will's idea. He set up the sleeping bags, and everyone fell asleep shortly.

*****

"Two have died already. Well, that was expected. They have no reason to fear though; their souls went to a good cause." The figure in shadows smiled to himself coldly. "Many more will be sacrificed before this is done. The only question is, who?"

*****

_Rue was back in the ring of fire, staring at Draken as he calmly accepted his loss. The fire grabbed Draken and devoured him, along with Darche, as the fire spread closer to Rue. Closer… closer… closer…_

Rue bolted upright, shaking off the last remains of sleep. His heart beat calmed as he realized he had just had a nightmare. Then, he noticed the smoke was actually there…

"FIRE!" Rue yelled, bolting up. Hope came instantly awake with a yelp. Max got up slowly, looking around, confused. Will got up instantly, and groaned.

"Oh dear, sweet, precious god, NO…"

He ran off downstairs. The others gave each other questioning looks, and went to the balcony, and saw where the smoke was coming from.

"NEO! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU?!"

"Good morning Will. What woke you up?"

"RUE THOUGHT THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE! THAT'S WHAT WOKE ME UP! LET ME GET THIS THROUGH YOUR THICK HEAD: YOU ARE A WARRIOR! YOU. DO. NOT. COOK!"

"It's only pancakes," Neo protested.

"YOU CALL THAT BLACK "STUFF" PANCAKES?! THROW IT OUT NOW!"

Hope was having a hard time breathing. Rue would have fallen over the balcony if Max had not grabbed his arm. Max smirked at the commotion. "It looks like breakfast will be delayed."

*****

After Will had brought everyone bagels, ("But I worked so hard on those…" Neo protested) they went upstairs, put on their back packs, snapped on their Duel Disks, and attached the Envoyant Machine.

"See you there," Rue said.

"Indeed. Oh, in case we ever get separated, let's have a back up plan. We will all exit Teknisk Wereld, and meet up here."

"Sounds good Will," Hope said. "Let's go!"

They all pressed the green button.

To be continued…


	16. Checkmate! Or is it?

Alright, this duel might get a little bit confusing. If you do not know much about chess, I suggest you look at the author's note. I have tried my best to explain. If you don't get it, then I apologize. _

***Chapter 16: Checkmate! Or is it?***

"Hope? Hey, can you hear me?"

Hope slowly opened her eyes. "Hi Rue. Did we make it?"

"By the looks of it, yes. We are back in the town… or what is left of it."

Will and Max were already up, and so were the Soul Monsters. Neo was asking Will a question that apparently had nothing to do with their mission, by the murderous look Will was giving him. Olympion looked as bored as ever, while Ruecian and Gaston were scanning the area. Gaston suddenly started. 

"Hope, there's a guard over there. If he sees us, we'll be thrown out. We have to go in the direction of the lake."

Hope nodded in agreement. "Ok, then let's go."

They walked quietly out of the town, and were soon making their way down to the lake.

*****

At the lake, Will decided on their next course.

"Let's take the long way around town and go to the mountains. Out of all the areas, I doubt guards are there."

"Good call," Rue nodded. "So let's get going."

"HEY, YOU!"

Neo flinched. "Great; we've been found."

About five officials were running down toward them, cutting off any escape route. "You four! Stop! Don't go any further!"

"Like heck if we listen to them!" Hope began frantically searching her deck. "Drat, drat, drat, I have no cards to get us across this lake! We're outnumbered if this comes down to a fight!"

They were getting closer, when suddenly, glowing swords rained down from the sky, paralyzing the officials.

"The Sealing Swords Of Light will only last a short time," Will said. "Let's get out of here!"

They ran quickly by, making for the mountains. After a while, they slowed their pace.

"That's odd… they should have been able to break free in time to follow us," Will said, puzzled.

"I activated my own Swords," Hope explained. "No problem in a little more time, right?"

"Good one," Rue complimented. "Let's just keep going."

*****

"Here we are," Hope said. "The mountains. They are way too tall to climb though."

"That's what this is for," Rue said, taking a card out of his pocket. "I came prepared; I brought some cards that aren't in my deck for use here. Such as the Dark-Piercing Light."

"Good," Max said. 

"So I'll activate Time Capsule!" Rue shouted. "This card can transport us a considerable distance, so I choose the top of the mountain!"

A huge explosion occurred, and a cry of shock. When the smoke cleared, it revealed Neo barely holding onto the edge of a huge pit.

"A little help here?!" Neo shouted.

"Uh… right. Lifeline!" Rue threw down a rope which Neo caught. With some help from Will and Gaston, Neo was soon laying at the edge, gasping for breath.

"You idiot!" Will yelled. "That wasn't Time Capsule!"

"What the heck happened?" Rue looked at the card he was holding. "Oh, whoops. Looks like I picked up my spare Bottomless Pit Trap." Rue looked at Neo guiltily. "Er… sorry."

Neo got up, glaring. "If I was allowed to, my sword would meet your heart in a very painful manner."

"Won't happen again," Rue assured. He picked out another card, making sure it was the right card this time. "NOW I use Time Capsule!"

The Soul Monsters immediately retreated into their cards as four coffins appeared. Everyone got into the coffins, and waited patiently. After a few minutes, the coffins stopped moving, and everyone got out. The coffins vanished when they left them. 

Hope was speechless. "Wow… the view is amazing!"

Indeed it was. Hope could barely make out the lake in the distance, although the sunlight coming off it nearly blinded her. The town was recognizable, and the forest was easy to see too. On the other side of the mountain was, as far as she could see, rolling hills. Beautiful green grass stretched far beyond her eye sight.

"So what now?" Will said. "We're up here, so what do we do? Look around? Max, what are you looking at?"

Max just pointed. It appeared to be a temple of some sort. The temple's right and left sides were black, while the front and back were white. The stairs leading up alternated between black and white. The columns looked like something in roman times; they too were black and white. There were many statues, all of monsters Hope didn't recognize. Apparently though, Max did.

"The Chess Demons…" Max said in awe. 

_Indeed._

Hope jumped as she heard a voice inside her head. Rue immediately brought the battle ax to an attack position, and Will glanced around wildly.

"That's Olympion," Max explained. "He can talk telepathically to anyone he wants to."

"Oh…" Hope shuddered. Olympion's voice was pretty creepy in her opinion. It wasn't like she would tell him that though.

"Should we go inside?" she suggested.

"I'm game. No pun intended," Neo joked.

"Lame," Will commented.

They all walked up the steps, Max in the lead. He threw open the doors, and they walked inside. Everyone stared.

It was a cubic room, with no other doorways. The walls were made up of huge, checkered black and white patterns. Chess Demons were shown doing battle. Hope turned away in disgust from one of the more gruesome ones; a Genocide King Demon hacking off a much smaller demon's head, blood flying everywhere. She instead looked at the floor, and saw the same pattern as on the walls.

"It's a chess board…" Hope was stunned by how it looked. "My dad taught me how to play chess, so I can recognize things like this straight off."

"Very clever."

The door behind them slammed shut behind them, leaving them in darkness.

"It looks like you found your way here. Good job. Are you ready to play my game?" the voice asked.

"It would help if we could see," Will noted.

"My apologies. Here, allow me to help."

Suddenly, torches on the walls sprang to life, crackling with fire. The light fell across a man and his Soul Monster. The customary black cloak of Generals was discarded by the man, and they got a good look at him.

The man wore a rather interesting array of clothing. His shirt was white, and his pants were black. One of his socks was white; the other was black. The shoe on his foot with the white sock was black; the other shoe was white. His hair was white, but he wore a black top hat over it. He wore a bow tie that had one side black, and the other white. All in all, he looked absolutely ridiculous, but fit the decor well. The only thing that wasn't black or white was the fiery, glowing orb.

The monster was quite the contrast. A horrifying mass of muscles and bones, the creature seemed somehow related to Olympion. However, compared to Olympion, this guy was a shrimp. One of his huge hands had three razor-sharp claws; the other arm ended in a sword. His evil, red eyes glared at them all.

"Welcome to your last battle ground, all of you. I am another General of Hell. You may call me Echecs. This is my fighter, Paul. He is a Hell Pawn Demon."

"So, you wish to duel one of us?" Will assumed.

"Obviously. The field is chosen, and the armies are ready. All we need is the king to lead them." He stepped forward, onto the position of where a black king would go. Paul stepped onto the queen's position. 

"I will duel you," Max said. "Out of everyone here, I am the one who knows most about demons." He stepped onto the white king's position, Olympion stepping onto the queen's. 

"The loser will die, but I think you already guessed that. So no more stalling, let's begin."

Max: 8000

Echecs: 8000

"White always goes first," Echecs said.

"Alright. I draw. Hah! I drew Demon King Of The Underworld: Hades, so my Deck Master's ability activates!" Olympion slashed Echecs across the chest. "Hm… I will lay one monster in defense mode, and one card face down. That will end my turn."

Max: 8000

Echecs: 7500

"I will summon Shadow Knight Demon! (2000/1600) A front-line attacker first turn. Usually pawns move forward first, but knights do have the tendency to jump ahead, wouldn't you say? He attacks your defensive monster!"

"You attacked my Twilight Zone Trainer! (100/2000) We meet equally."

"Ah, a stalemate. Just like when two pawns meet in the center of the field. Of course, there IS an easy way to get around that; kill one of the pawns, and the lock is broken. I will take care of that soon enough Max, but for now, I will just lay two cards face down and end my turn."

Max stared at him. "How do you know my name?"

"Let's just say I know more about you than you wish. Like how your dear daddy died…"

Max's temper flared. "What?! Shut up! You don't know how he died! There's no way!"

"Taunting your opponent is a good strategy, you know," Echecs lectured. "Oh, I know all of your past that you have tried so hard to bury. The painful memories that are your true weakness!"

Hope glared at him. "What are you talking about?"

Echecs laughed. "It is so typical that you didn't tell anyone. I don't blame you."

"Silence! I sacrifice Twilight Zone Trainer for Demon King Of The Underworld: Hades! Attack his Knight!"

"Your emotions have overruled your common sense, just as I planned. I activate Attack Nullification, ending your Battle Phase. Just be thankful that I didn't have a Mirror Force down."

"Argh… I'm done."

"It is my turn now. I draw…"

"And you lose 900 Life Points because of your Knight's effect," Max stated.

"Normally, I would. But not with Paul as the Deck Master. I do not have to pay for any of the chess demons when he is in this position. Quite a tactic, wouldn't you say?"

"Argh… so there is no penalty to you playing your Chess Demons!"

Echecs nodded. "You catch on quickly. Even when you were ten, you caught on quickly, didn't you?"

Max snarled. 

"Now now, that isn't a nice thing to do. Act civilized! Bad sportsmanship will get you nowhere," Echecs taunted. "Now, before I make my move, I think your friends should have some back ground info on their dear friend, before he is sent to Hell."

"No!" Hope protested. "Max will tell us when he is ready, and not sooner!"

"He would, but I won't give him that chance. I will tell you everything."

"Just make your damn turn!" Max yelled.

"Patience; a good player takes his time planning moves. Now, where did it all begin…?"

**FLASHBACK**

_A younger version of Max was walking home with a man that appeared to be his father. They were laughing happily together, talking about what appeared to be a baseball game._

_"Son, I just need to pick up some money from the back, and then we can go home. Is that ok with you?" his father asked._

_"Of course it is Dad!"_

_They were about to arrive at their destination, when suddenly, a man clothed completely in black stepped out of the shadows._

_"Listen up, and listen well, because I'm not repeating myself. Empty all of your cash from your bank vault, and give it to me. If you do this, I won't be forced to go to drastic measures."_

_Max's father just shook his head. "No. My family needs this money. Please, just walk away quietly, and I won't be forced to report you."_

_The bank robber stood still for a minute, and then suddenly drew a gun, and fired. Max's father fell over, a shower of blood falling from the wound in his chest._

_The robber swore and ran, leaving Max to sit over his father's body, sobbing, crying, begging him to wake up and comfort him…_

**END FLASHBACK**

"Poor Max was only ten!" Echecs smirked. "How… tragic."

"How dare you!" Rue shouted. "You must have seen it; why didn't you help?!"

"Oh, I wasn't there. But I will explain in a minute how I knew."

"Max…" Hope said. "Is this true?"

Max seemed to not here her, and then slowly nodded. "Yes… it's true… how he knows is beyond me, though…"

"Why don't you continue the story, Max?" Echecs suggested. "You know better than me."

Max glared at him, but spoke his piece. "My mom was devastated… or so she seemed to be. But she had a boyfriend… my step father. They married shortly after my father's death. Neither me, nor my sister liked him. We loathed him and his hard, cruel, cold personality. He tried to make us like him, but I could see he didn't really care… A few days later, the bank robber was caught. I was asked if I recognize him, and I said yes. My step father was allowed to pick how he died. He said that if the robber agreed to be gunned down by a firing squad, he would give the robber's family enough money to last them for a while. That is one thing my step father was; very rich. 

The robber agreed, as his family was poor. I thought nothing of this… but…" Max broke off, refusing to go on.

"Has your memory failed you, Max? Don't worry, I remember full well."

**FLASHBACK**

_The firing squad were all aiming their guns at the robber. The robber simply stood there, waiting for it to be done. There were two spectators though._

_"No! Let me go! I don't want to watch!" Max yelled. He tried to struggle out of his step father's grip, but it was too strong. "Please, let me go!"_

_His step father held his eyes open, forcing him to watch. He nodded. In a voice that was as cold as ice, he gave the order. "Do it."_

_Too many bullets to count flew into the robber. He gave one pained cry before falling, dead. Max was too horrified to struggle. The smell of too much blood was almost too much for him to bear. He just gave a soft whimper._

_The step father whispered one thing to Max. Just one thing that changed his life forever._

_"It is all your fault."_

**END FLASHBACK**

Hope was trying to stiffen tears that were threatening to overwhelm her. "What a wicked man!"

"It was good for him," Echecs laughed. "It convinced him to run away with his sister, as far away as he could get from his mother and step father. He and his sister have lived alone for more than six years now. Quite a tear jerker, wouldn't you say?"

"How?" Max asked quietly. "How did you know?"

"Simple. I was one of the troops in the firing squad."

"WHAT?!" Max yelled. "You were one of the ones who killed that robber?"

"Yes, I was. Life is all about strategy, Max. For doing the horrible deed, I got a promotion in ranks. That was quite an advantage in the game of life for me, wouldn't you say?"

"That's it! I've had enough! Just make your move!" Max looked like he wanted to attack the cocky figure standing in front of him.

"Oh, all right. Story time is over, for now. I summon Hell Pawn Demon. (1200/200) And then I play the card Power Of Teamwork on my Pawn! (2800/1800) Now, attack his Dark Ruler! And my Knight will attack directly!"

Max gave a yell of pain at the Knight's sword slashed him across the chest, wincing as he looked at his Life Point counter.

Max: 6650

Echecs: 7500

"My Life Point counter must be wrong," Max muttered. "I should have lost 1000 more Life Points from that hit…"

"No, your counter is correct. Damage that my Knight does to you is halved."

"Well, I won't complain. Good… I drew X-E-N-O. I also drew Newt. Meh, that's where my chain ends." 

Max: 6650

Echecs: 6500

"I summon Newt to the field, and equip him with my own Power Of Teamwork! (2700/1200) Next, I use Force! I will take half of your Pawn's attack power!"

"That was a poor move. My Pawn has an effect you know. I roll a die, and if it lands on three, my Pawn is safe."

The virtual die rolled around on the board, until it landed on a six. Max sighed with relief.

"Don't think you are off the hook yet! All strategies must have back-up plans! I activate my trap card, Reverse Dice! I get to reroll one dice roll this turn!"

The die landed on…

"Hah, a three!"

"No! Well, in that case, I will lay one card face down. Now, my Newt attacks your Knight!"

Newt rushed forward, but stopped as a barrier blocked the attack.

"What?"

"My Pawn's effect makes it so that you cannot attack any other Chess Demon on the field besides itself. Care to still try that move? Your hand never left the piece!"

"I end my turn…"

"A wise choice on your part. Now, don't think your face down card has me fooled. I know you probably think you are safe hiding behind it, so I will just have to dispose of it by playing Cyclone!"

"No! That was my Attack Nullification!"

"I am well aware of your other card, so I cannot risk playing another monster to join my army… yet. Hell Pawn, attack and destroy Newt!"

"I activate Torture Wheel! Your monster is trapped."

"For a short time. I end my turn."

Max: 6650

Echecs: 6000

"I set one monster in defense mode. I also switch Newt to defense mode. I'm done."

_That's probably his X-E-N-O. I won't give him time to get it off though… _"I play the magic card Black Hole! All of our monsters are destroyed!"

"So much for my X-E-N-O." Max looked worried.

"I will summon UFO Turtle! (1400/1000) Attack his Life Points!"

Max: 5250

Echecs: 6000

"I summon Gil Gars! Attack the Turtle!"

Max: 5250

Echecs: 5600

"Thank you. When you destroy my Turtle as a result of battle, I get to search for one card that is under 1500 attack, and is a Fire Main-Type monster. It is immediately summoned to the field. So meet my Inferno Demon Queen! (900/1500)"

"That's a pitiful monster. I lay one card face down, and that's it."

"Oh, is it? Well, each Standby Phase, I can increase one Demon monster on my field's attack by 1000! (1900/1500) Now, I summon Genocide King Demon! (2000/1500)"

Olympion snarled at his counterpart on the field.

"Now, my Queen will attack your Gil Gars! And my King will attack directly!"

"Not so fast! I use Cry Of The Living Dead to bring back Newt! When he is destroyed, your King will lose 500 attack points!"

Max: 5050

Echecs: 5600

"I advise you look again."

Max was shocked to see the King was still at 2000 attack. "How?"

"All effect monsters' effects are negated when destroyed by my King. Now, I lay one card face down and end my turn. I am afraid my Queen will lose her boost though. (900/1500) It doesn't matter though. You are in checkmate Max; just accept defeat!"

"Correction; I am in check. Checkmate is only when there is no hope left. But for me, there is!" Max drew and smiled. "I summon Demon Soldier, (1900/1500) and equip him with Mask Of Attrocities! That raises my monster's attack by 1000! (2900/1500) I lay one card face down, and attack your King!"

"Aw, what a pity. But I still have the option to castle! I can discard Death Rook from my hand (1100/1800) to special summon Genocide King Demon from the Cemetery!"

Max: 5050

Echecs: 4700

"I lay one more card down, and that's it.."

"You have escaped once, but now you lose! My Queen will give my King the power boost first of all. (3000/1500) And then, I summon Dark Bishop Demon! (300/1300)

Max smirked. "Tough luck. I use Tidal Wave! All our monsters are destroyed."

"What a pity. It's a good thing I kept these two cards. I play Emissary Of Peace! Now no monster about 1500 may attack. Then, I lay down one other card."

Max drew, and smirked. "I play Jar Of Greed, to gain two more cards. And by the looks of these cards, this duel is about to be over."

"My strategies have been all planned out! You cannot hope to win!"

"Think again. I summon another Demon Soldier, and play Cyclone! There goes your last hope. Now, Demon Soldier attacks!"

"I activate Attack Nullification to save myself."

"I lay one more card down, and I'm done."

Echecs laughed at his next card. "How lucky! I drew another Shadow Knight Demon! Attack Demon Soldier!"

Max: 5000

Echecs: 4750

Max drew, and shook his head. "All I can do is end…"

"Hah! Then it's over! I summon another Genocide King Demon! In one more turn, checkmate will be declared!"

Max laughed. "You fell for my trap!"

"What?"

"Behold, the card Ambush! When you summon a monster, I can summon one level four or lower Dark Main-Type from my hand! So I call forth Giant Orc! (2200/0)"

"That can't be! My strategy… All I can do is end…"

"Well, what do you know? I drew my Dark Necrophia!"

Max: 5000

Echecs: 4250

"I remove Gil Gars, Hades, and Twilight Zone Trainer to summon it! (2200/2800) She will attack your King, and my Orc will attack your Knight!"

Max: 5000

Echecs: 3850

"No… all my techniques… wasted… all I can do is summon another Dark Demon Bishop and attack Giant Orc…"

"I drew Newt."

Max: 5000

Echecs: 3350

"I summon Newt, and equip it with Demon Axe! You're the one in checkmate, Echecs!"

"No! It can't be!"

"Necrophia, attack his Bishop! Newt, destroy the king of the game!"

Echecs screamed as he was sliced by the axe-wielding demon.

Max: 5000

Echecs: 0

Echecs shook in fright and pain. "No… I have never lost… never… my plans… my tactics… were flawless…"

The spectators suddenly jumped away from the door as the statues of the Chess Demons flew in. Menacing cold, hard stone moved effortlessly toward the losers. Echecs and Paul didn't even have time to gasp before their heads were sliced neatly off. The Genocide King Demon statue picked up Echecs; the Inferno Queen Demon got Paul. They flew out of the temple as quickly as they had come. Hope looked outside, but they weren't even in sight. 

To be continued…

Author's Notes: As you may have noticed, this chapter had a lot of chess terms. For those of you who don't play chess, I will explain what these terms meant.

#1: Echecs is Chess in a different language.

#2: The king always goes on his color on the board when setting the game up. The queen goes on the opposite of her color. So Echecs stood on a black square, and Max on a white square. Hence why the story said they stepped on as the black king and white king.

#3: In chess, white always moves first. Since Max was in the white king's position, he got to go first.

#4: When two pawns meet in the middle of a board, facing each other straight across, it is a lock. Neither pawn can move until another piece eliminates one of the pawns. Or that pawn could move diagonally… if there was another piece for it to capture. Confused? Don't worry. Just assume that when Echecs said his piece about pawns, he meant they were at a stalemate. 

#5: Castling… ugh. Ok, I hope this is good enough to show you what it is. When you have moved neither a rook nor a king, you can castle. Let me explain what it is…

R##K (R=Rook, K=King, #=Blank Space)

Then when you castle, you move the king and rook into these positions…

#KR#

At least, that's how I have learned. You can also do this with the other rook. What I am getting at is that the rook basically moves the King into a more favorable position, hence the statement Echecs made.

#5: Check means that one of the kings is in a position that will kill him next turn. The player who controls that king MUST move him. 

#6: Checkmate means the king will be captured next turn, no matter what. Game over. The player who controls that king loses.


	17. Silent And Deadly!

Drat. Last chapter had a few errors, but they are fixed now. So you might want to reread that chapter. _

I think I have been writing this thing too much. I dreamt that I had a Celtic Guardian named Gaston hanging out with me. _ Lesson of the day: don't work on a fan fiction until one AM.

***Chapter 17: Silent and Deadly!***

Max sighed. "I guess that's over with…"

"Max…" Hope began. "I'm so sorry… your life has been horrible!"

"I've gotten over it," Max said. Hope could tell by the tone of his voice that he didn't mean it though.

"Let's get out of here. I don't want to get my head hacked off by an irritated chess piece," Rue stated, breaking the uncomfortable silence. 

They all walked outside, and looked around. "So, now where do we go?" Neo asked.

"Let's go down to the hills," Will suggested. "Those officials might be still looking for us back there."

Rue nodded. "Good point. I brought another Time Capsule card, so we can use that."

"Why not just use the same one?" Hope inquired.

"When cards are used in Teknisk Wereld, they have a 'recharge' time," Will explained. "You have to wait for twenty-four hours before you can use it again. So it's a good thing Rue brought more than one copy."

"I see," Hope said.

Rue looked carefully at the card first before calling forth the Time Capsules.

*****

After a short ride in the coffins, they were soon at the foot of the mountain, facing the hills.

"Well, that was anti-climatic," Neo muttered. "Which direction do we go?"

Hope took out an arrow from the quiver she wore, and threw it, spinning in the air. It soon landed, pointing straight forward. "That way, I guess."

They began walking, but nothing happened for the next hour. "Can we rest soon?" Hope complained.

"We can't stop in the middle of an open area like this," Max retorted, as they climbed up a steep hill. "We would be way too noticeable. We are too noticeable right now anyway. I don't like it."

"On the bright side, we will be able to see anything else that comes our way too," Gaston noted.

"True, but I still don't like it."

They had reached the top of the hill by now, and were looking around. "Still nothing!" Rue griped. "I'm going to go insane soon!"

"It's not like we have anything better to do," Will pointed out as they began walking down the hill. "Let's just keep walking in this dir-"

Will was cut off by the ground suddenly collapsing. All they had time for was a yell of surprise before falling down the pit.

*****

_What… happened? We were walking… and then… oh no! _Hope got up quickly, wincing at the collection of bruises she had gotten from the fall. She was relived to see everyone else was there as well.

"Is everyone ok?" Rue asked.

"No broken bones…" Will responded. "Although I feel sore all over."

"It looks like we got lucky," Max said. "What I don't understand is why this pit was here."

Gaston looked up, and shook his head. "It's too far up, and the sides of this pit are too smooth to climb. We won't be able to leave this way."

"Is there another way we can go?" Neo pondered.

"Hold on a second…" Rue got out a card and activated it. "I've activated Dark Piercing Light. Let's look around before it goes out."

"There's a passage right over there," Will pointed out. "There's no other way to go; so I guess we should go down it."

There wasn't much to say about the passage. It was just a big, rocky tunnel. Hope was afraid it would cave in at any second, but she wasn't about to tell anyone that.

About ten minutes later, they were still walking down the passage. 

"Geez, who made this thing? It must have taken ages," Rue grumbled.

"I'm more concerned about who dug out that pit," Hope replied. "The only reason I can think of that a pit would be here is because a General of Hell dug it."

"You are correct."

A man walked out from the shadows. He had the customary black cloak, but it was soon flung away. There wasn't much difference though. He wore a black long sleeved shirt, black pants, black socks, black boots, and black gloves. Everything he wore was black, basically. He even wore a black handkerchief over his nose and mouth, leaving his dark blue eyes uncovered. His black hair was kept in a ponytail, but it went down to his shoulders.

Although his companion could have passed off as a human, Hope immediately recognized it as a monster she had faced before. He wore a gray, sleeveless shirt, and gray pants, with gray boots. He wore a green ammunition holder over his shoulder, down to his waist. He wore a wristband on each of his powerful arms, and he carried two guns, the holsters at his hips. He wore a green and brown eye patch over his right eye, but his other brown eye was still able to survey them. His silver hair went down to his shoulders too.

"A Don Zaruug! I remember that Zenith used that!" Hope recalled.

"So you were the one who defeated Zenith? He was a pretty good player, but he often made foolish choices. Unlike me, of course; I make sure I get the job done the first time. My name is Asesino, and this is Don."

"So you were the one who set up that trap?" Rue inquired.

"Yes, it was I. I am a master at my job; nobody has escaped me yet."

"Escaped you? What?" Hope looked confused.

"I'm an assassin. It is a relatively easy job for me. You pick a target, and follow them, destroying their defenses ever so slowly, so they do not notice you. Eventually, all that is left is the target, without any kind of barrier between me and the kill."

"Another guy who likes killing? Don't any of the Generals think killing is just bad altogether?" Hope asked.

"We wouldn't be Generals of Hell if we did not kill," Asesino said calmly. "My next target has been picked. The girl will be the next to die by my hands."

"Hold on," Will interrupted. "I haven't dueled in a while. Duel me instead."

"All of you will be slain eventually anyway. As a last dying wish, I suppose I will oblige."

Will: 8000

Asesino: 8000

"I always make my move based on what my victim does."

"Alright then… I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card face down," Will stated.

"Already on the defensive, I see. Well, you won't last for long like that. Then again, if you went at me in an aggressive manner, you would be too enraged to defend your Life Points."

"Just make your move," Will said.

"Fine, I will. I summon Black Scorpion-Trap Remover Kurifu! (1200/1000)"

"A Black Scorpion?" Hope looked worried. "I've heard of those cards. They each have a special effect if they can inflict damage to the opponent's Life Point! I didn't know Don Zaruug was one though…"

"Don Zaruug is often considered the leader of the Black Scorpions. It looks like you will already be the witness of his Deck Master ability. I can pay 500 Life Points to lower one of my monster's attack down to 100. In return though, they have the power to attack directly! (100/1000) Their attack returns to normal at the end of my turn."

"That means that he will have no trouble getting off his Black Scorpion's effects!" Neo exclaimed.

"Exactly. Kurifu, slip around his defense and attack his Life Points!"

Will: 7900

Asesino: 7500

"Kurifu has the ability to destroy one Magic or Trap card that is on the field, so one of your defenses is already gone."

Will shook his head. "You got my Blessing Of God." _Drat… this is going to be difficult._

"Then my attack is over for the time being."

Will took a quick glance at the card he drew. "I summon Turner Of The Dead: Kaiku! (1800/700) I attack your Kurifu! Then I lay one card face down."

Will: 7900

Asesino: 6900

"That's the problem with my Black Scorpions; in battle, they are often just weaklings. Not with this card though. First, I play Jar Of Greed. Then I summon Don Zaruug and equip him with Power Of Teamwork. But that's not the only defense I can take out. I also use The Black Scorpion Assemble!"

"What does that do?" Will asked.

"If I have a Don Zaruug on the field, I can special summon any number of cards from my hand that have 'Black Scorpion' in their name. So I call forth Black Scorpion-Spiteful Miine, (1000/1800) Black Scorpion-Running Chikku, (1000/1000) and Black Scorpion-Strong Googu! (1800/1500) Now just look at my Don Zaruug's attack! (4600/4700) Assassins can be strong without always hiding, as this shows you. Don Zaruug attacks Kaiku. Googu attacks your defense monster."

"That was my Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200)"

"Miine and Chikku attack your Life Points!"

Will: 3100

Asesino: 6900

"Due to the effects Don Zaruug, you are forced to discard one card from your hand. Miine lets me look through my deck to get one Black Scorpion. Chikku sends your face down card back to your hand," Asesino explained.

"I am forced to discard my Black Magician Of Chaos." Will ejected his trap card from his Duel Disk and added it to his hand.

"I lay one card down and end my turn."

"I play Thunderbolt! This Magic card destroys all of the monsters on your field!"

"A good assassin always has a back-up plan, in case one throw is misplaced. My Imperial Decree negates every Magic card you can play!"

"True… but it also negates yours! I summon Skilled Black Magician! Now, I lay two cards face down and attack your Don Zaruug!"

Will: 3100

Asesino: 6400

"How irritating. I will not pay for Imperial Decree. I will summon Black Scorpion-Trap Remover Kurifu. Now, I will play Emissary Of Harmony. You will not be able to attack with any monster that has 1500 or more attack. I will use Don's effect on Kurifu, and attack your Life Points! This will also destroy the Magic or Trap to my right."

"My Black Power Stone…"

Will: 3000

Asesino: 5900

"That will do for now."

Will looked at the next card he drew. _Yes! This will be perfect later. I had better keep it in my hand though, or that Kurifu will get it… "I pass."_

"I will pay for Emissary Of Peace. I lay one card face down, and I use Don's effect on Kurifu again!"

"This time you hit my Antagonizing Spell."

Will: 2900

Asesino: 5300

"My turn then. I set one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"Will…" Neo protested. "I know our Life Points are low, but we have to get rid of that Emissary Of Peace!"

Will showed Neo his hand. "There is no way I can."

"Having a problem getting through my defenses? While an assassin can be good at attacking, they are much better lying in defense, waiting for the right moment to end one's steady breathing forever!"

"Really?" Will asked. "I thought assassins hid in the shadows. But I can see you, and your monsters. You aren't invisible right now!"

"You will soon see me all too well, as I take out your Life Points! And I drew the perfect card to do it! Of course, I must first pay for my Emissary Of Peace. Next, I summon Don Zaruug! With all five of my Black Scorpions on the field, I am allowed to activate my Trap Card! Deadly! Black Scorpion Combination!"

"What does that do?" Will demanded.

"All of my Scorpion's must be out, but if I have them all, they are allowed to attack you directly! Googu can't attack because his attack is too high, but the others can!"

"No!" Neo protested. "That means Will loses!"

"I wish it did, but Battle Damage for each attack becomes 400. Now, Don Zaruug, Kurifu, Miine, and Chikku, attack him!"

Will tried to block the ferocious assault, but in the end was overcome and thrown into Neo.

Will: 1300

Asesino: 5200

"Would you mind getting off of me?" Neo complained.

"It's not like I chose to land on you," Will pointed out, but he got up anyway. 

"You lose one card from your hand because of Don Zaruug. Since you have no trap cards, I will choose to have you discard the top two cards on your deck into your Cemetery. Chikku will return your face down monster to your hand. Miine will let me get one more card out of my deck. Next turn, you will lose!"

Will shuffled his hand around, and without looking, he randomly chose one of the cards. He looked at it, and sighed with relief. "You hit my Clarity Of Mind." He also removed the face down monster from the field and put it in his hand and discarded his next two cards. "I lose my Holy Elf and Cyclone."

"Hurry up and make your move. It will be over next turn anyway!" Asesino said arrogantly.

Will looked at the next card he had drawn, and nodded to himself. "Oh, it will be over alright… over for you! I play Raise Dead!"

"What good will that do you? Your strongest monster in the Cemetery is Kaiku!"

Will shook his head. "No it isn't. You should know that full-well… your Don Zaruug is the reason I can bring it back!"

Asesino watched the monster that came back with horror. "Black Magician Of Chaos?! What?!"

"Don't you remember? Your Don Zaruug made me discard it. And making me discard him was the worst mistake you have ever made. (2800/2600)"

"So what? You can't get past my Emissary Of Peace with him! Besides, my Chikku or Googu can just return him to your hand next turn!"

Will smirked. "I'm sorry, but they won't be around to do that! Not when I play Thunderbolt!"

"What? WHAT?! You can't! You can only have one Thunderbolt in your deck, and that one was negated by Imperial Decree!" Asesino yelled. Much to his horror though, a huge thunderbolt came down from the ceiling and electrocuted all of Asesino's monsters.

"My Black Magician Of Chaos' effect lets me get back one Magic card from my Cemetery!" Will explained. "Face it; you have lost!"

"I still have Emissary Of Peace up! You may have delayed me, but I can sink into the shadows, waiting for another opportune time to strike!" Asesino protested.

"Or can you? Not when I summon Saint Magician! (300/400)"

Asesino stared at the monster Will had summoned for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Are you an idiot? That shrimp can't help you win!"

"Oh, she can. All I have to do is use Neo's effect! Saint Magician, attack his Emissary Of Harmony!"

"What?! Impossible!" But before Asesino's bewildered eyes, it was destroyed.

"I have the ability to pay 500 Life Points to destroy one Magic or Trap card by attacking it! So Saint Magician did the job nicely. Now, Black Magician Of Chaos and Skilled Black Magician attack you directly!"

Will: 800

Asesino: 500

Asesino gritted his teeth as he drew his card. If he drew a strong enough monster, he would win. He swore, but then shrugged. It would work.

"I summon Black Scorpion-Spiteful Miine! Attack Saint Magician!"

Will: 100

Asesino: 500

"It's too close…" Hope said nervously.

"I lay one card face down." _Just try and attack me… my Holy Barrier-Mirror Force will be your doom!_

Will's hand shook as he drew his card, and he sighed with relief as he saw what it was. "I summon Magic Warrior-Breaker! (1900/1000) I remove his Magic Counter to destroy your card! (1600/1000)"

"No! My last defense… my Mirror Force…"

"Black Magician Of Chaos, finish him off!"

Will: 100

Asesino: 0

Asesino shook his head. "For the first time, my victim has gotten away. No, he has become my murderer. The tables have turned on me… and now it is too late to reverse them."

Will gasped in shock as he saw the ground begin to fall away at Asesino's feet. Soon, a wide, gaping hole was formed. The echoes of the scream he and Don had let out were all that remained to tell them that they had ever been there.

To be continued…


	18. Erased From Existence

New chapter. Yay.

Yoko Sereana Lita: Yes, it IS a waste of money. _ BTW, I just got .hack, so maybe I will understand what you meant earlier now.

Fair warning: There is a tiny bit of language in here. Not much (just one word), but I just thought I should note it.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. _ _

***Chapter 18: Erased From Existence***

Everyone stared at the hole that was the only thing left to tell about how Asesino had died. 

Neo walked up to it and looked down. He shook his head sadly. "It looks like it is bottomless…"

"A pity, but it can't be helped," Will said. "We will just have to push that fact aside and figure out how to get across that pit."

As he said those words, the sides of the pit suddenly closed. The passage looked perfectly normal now. 

"What the heck? It's like it wants us to go on…" Rue muttered. "But what if it just opens up again?"

"I doubt it," Hope commented. "The Generals have kept their word so far. It seems they can't break their own rules."

Max shrugged. "It's either that or stay trapped forever." He walked fearlessly on the area where the pit had been. It held firm. That seemed to reassure the others; they followed him.

After some more walking, there still didn't seem to be an end to the tunnel. Hope was very tired by now, and couldn't believe that Max, Will, and Rue were still going strong. Especially Rue; he had that huge ax to drag along, after all. Hope was about to request taking a break, when suddenly, Rue's Dark Piercing Light card went out. In the darkness, they could hear Rue swearing.

"What happened? Did it run out of power?" Hope asked.

"No! It just went out for no reason!" Rue snarled.

"Neo, can you give us some light?" Will inquired.

There was a few seconds of silence, and then Neo responded. "It's no use. I can't light up this area for some reason."

"Then we will just have to keep going," Rue replied. "In the dark, unfortunately. This could be annoying."

"I'm in the lead, so follow the sound of my footsteps." Max's voice came from the front, so they figured he was right. Hope walked forward steadily, and then heard a crash, a yell of surprise, and what sounded like someone opening an over-filled cupboard of pots and pans.

"What was that?" Hope asked.

"NEO! GET OFF OF ME!"

"Sorry Gaston!"

Another yell was heard, a crash, and then a string of colorful language. "Get out of the way dang it!" Rue's voice was easy to place.

Hope sighed. _This is going to be a long trip. _

*****

"This is not working. Those children are scared at the idea of death, but somehow they still overcome it! Now how can I do this… ah, I know. Yes, that should work. They will know the true meaning of fear by the time this is over." The figure in shadows gave a cold laugh.

*****

After a few more mishaps, the going was soon smooth. It took about another thirty minutes before anything happened though.

"The passage ends here," Hope heard Max say. "The walls are much wider apart. Just keep walking straight forward."

They did so, but nothing eventful occurred until Hope left the passage; she had been the last person in line. When she stepped out, she felt that something was wrong. 

"Uh… guys? I feel like something isn't right."

"I know what you mean," Rue replied. "It's like… the ground isn't solid! That's it!"

"What are you talking about?" Will asked. "How could we be walking if the ground wasn't solid?"

"The boy's instincts are accurate. You should listen to him."

It was like someone had directed a spotlight at each person and Soul Monster. Hope abruptly realized that everyone was glowing with a soft, yellow light. It didn't make things much better, but at least they could see each other. There wasn't much else to see though. It was just an area of blackness, completely empty. Hope didn't understand at first, until she looked down at her feet and found that she was standing on… nothing. It seemed solid enough to not suddenly float off of, but it didn't feel exactly solid.

"Are we… in an area like space? But there are no stars…"

"Very keen observation."

A movement was made, and they could suddenly see a young girl. Hope realized that the black cloak must have concealed her until now. She was glowing in the same manner as they were, so it was easy to tell what she looked like. She wore a long, pale, white dress that went down to her feet. She wore black shoes, and white gloves. Over face was a white veil that stood out against her black hair. She had gray eyes that resembled the clouds of a storm. Around her neck was yet another fiery orb, the only bright thing in this area. What shocked Hope was how young the girl looked… only about ten!

Her Soul Monster was another human-like one, but this one was the first female Hope had seen. She wore a simple, silver suit of armor. Her light brown hair fell down to her shoulders, and in her hand was a white sword. 

"Welcome to a place of emptiness and space. People call me Alene. That Soul Monster is Twilight Zone Female Warrior. You may refer to her as Besta. I have lived in a world that is like this for the majority of my existance. My purpose is dedicated to serving My Lord as a General of Hell."

"Whoa!" Rue exclaimed. "There are female Generals of Hell?"

"I do not see why that surprises you," Alene said calmly. "Aren't all people just the same? There is no difference between male and female, in a sense. We are all equal."

"Say… what?" Rue looked very confused at this whole conversation. 

"Besides that, just look at how young you are," Gaston pointed out. "There is no way you can be even thirteen!"

"I am not thirteen. I do not know my own age; I lost track of it after about one hundred years."

"What?!" Everyone was shocked.

"I was assigned to kill all that possess the power to stop the Ritual. I sense that you four…"

"You mean eight," Gaston pointed out.

"…Eight, if you prefer, are the ones I am supposed to defeat in a duel. If you lose, you will spend an eternity in hell." Never once did her expression change. It was like her face was set in stone.

"The Ritual… tell us more about it!" Hope demanded.

"I cannot disclose information about it. Now turn on your Duel Disk."

"One more thing; what IS this place?" Will asked.

"It is an area of emptiness, a place where nothing happens, a place where there are no thoughts or emotions. It is just space."

"Space? I heard you can float there." Neo attempted a back flip, only to land on his back. "OW!"

"You are mistaken. This is not based off of outer space."

Hope frowned. "This is too weird for my tastes. Let's just get on with this thing."

"A word of warning: there is a new rule that has been set. You will see what I mean soon enough," Alene said.

Hope: 8000

Alene: 8000

"You are to take the first move," Alene announced.

"Ok," Hope replied. "I set one monster in defense mode, and lay one other card. I'm done."

"I summon Twilight Zone Beast. (1400/1400) It will attack your monster."

"Looks like you hit my Severing Samurai. (500/800)" 

"Any monster Twilight Zone Beast destroys in Battle is removed from the game."

"That is a good effect, but it is too weak to live for much longer," Hope stated.

"It depends on how you go about it. I lay two cards down. You may go now."

"Hm… I play Cyclone on the card to your left!"

"You destroyed my Magic Jammer. I will not activate it."

"I summon Iron Knight: Gear Freed!"

"I counter with Bottomless Pit Trap. Your Gear Freed is removed from the game."

"Then that's it…" Hope grimaced. 

"I summon Turner Of The Dead: Kaiku. (1800/700) Attack your Life Points with both of my monsters."

"I counter with Curse Of Darkness! Your Kaiku is trapped, and he loses 700 attack points. (1100/700)"

"You may go through with that. However, my Twilight Zone Beast still gets to attack you. I end my turn."

Hope gave a growl of pain as the Beast attacked her.

Hope: 6600

Alene: 8000

The pain in Hope's chest faded away, but something else felt wrong. Hope shook it off and drew her next card. 

"I summon… what's wrong Gaston?"

Gaston was staring at her in shock. "Just look! Your leg!"

"What?" Hope looked down at her leg, and gasped. It was… gone. She could see a little bit of her leg just beyond her knee, but that was it.

"What happened? What is going on?!" Hope demanded.

"Is this the new ruling?" Will asked.

"Correct. Each time we lose Life Points, a section of our body disappears, until the one with none left is just a memory." 

 "But… what if my arm is erased? How will I play then?"

"Your body parts are simply invisible for now. However, the one who loses will also lose their state of matter. That person will go from being a solid to just a soul without a body. This soul will remain in Hell forever."

Hope shuddered. "Alright then… it's too late to back out now."

"Be careful," Rue advised.

"No duh," Hope muttered. "I summon Blade Knight. (1600/1000) He will attack your Twilight Zone Beast."

Hope: 6600

Alene: 7800

Hope noticed a section of Alene's foot was now gone. "So we both start vanishing at our feet, and then progress upwards?"

"Yes. I sacrifice Kaiku to summon Lesser Demon. (2100/1000) Attack your Blade Knight."

Hope: 6100

Alene: 7800

"Lesser Demon also has the ability to remove any monster it kills in Battle. I will end my turn by laying one more card down."

Hope noted that her leg was almost completely gone before drawing.

"Hope, have you noticed that all the cards she has played, besides Magic Jammer, specify on removing cards?" Gaston asked.

"Now that I think about it… so that is your strategy? But what good will it do? It isn't like I would be able to get back most of those cards anyway."

"You will see soon enough."

"I summon Goblin Strike Team. They attack your Lesser Demon. Then, I lay one card down."

Hope: 6100

Alene: 7600

Alene didn't even seem phased that her leg was slowly disappearing. "I lay one monster down. I also lay one other card."

"Hm… I end my turn without doing anything."

"Then it is time to go to work. I will activate my face down card, Cyclone."

"You hit my Holy Barrier-Mirror Force."

"I will also use Thunderbolt."

Hope shook her head. "That was a waste. Any monster of yours could have killed them."

"True, but I was preparing for my next card. I play Release Of Soul. I get to remove up to five cards from either of our Cemeteries. So I remove Goblin Strike Team, Mirror Force, and Curse Of Darkness."

"What is the point of all this? You have no cards in your hand; all you have is that face down monster."

"It is all I need. I will flip it right now. This monster is called Fiber Pod. (500/500) It makes both of us shuffle our hand, Cemetery, and all of the cards on the field into our decks. The only cards that are not shuffled in are cards that have been removed. Then we draw five new cards."

"So I won't get any of my best cards back!" Hope said, horrified.

"That is the main point around this deck." She quickly shuffled her deck, put it in the slot, and drew five cards. "I summon Twilight Zone Swordsman. (1200/1000) He attacks your Life Points."

Hope: 4900

Alene: 7600

Hope's left leg was completely gone now. Her right leg was invisible up to the knee.

"Well, at least I have a new hand now. I summon Surprising Matasa. Attack your Swordsman! And then, I will attack your open Life Points!"

"You will not get the chance. When my Swordsman is attacked, he and the monster who attacked him are removed from the game."

"Darn it. I lay two cards down." 

Hope: 4900

Alene: 7500

"I will use Emissary Of Destruction on the card to the right. This card allows me to destroy one face down magic or trap. If it is a trap, we both remove all of the copies we have of that card in our deck."

"You hit my Destruction Ring…"

"I must remove mine as well. Now, I summon Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200) She will attack directly."

"I counter with Magic Cylinder. Your attack is negated, and you lose Life Points equal to your attack."

Hope: 4900

Alene: 6400

"I will activate Besta's Deck Master ability. By paying 500 Life Points, I may select one card in your Cemetery and remove it. I choose Magic Cylinder."

Hope: 4900

Alene: 5900

"What? But then you are losing more of your body by doing that! Your whole leg is gone! Why do it?"

"If I am to win, I must make sacrifices," Alene explained. "Take your turn."

"Before I do, I want some questions answered," Hope declared. "How can you be here when you are only ten or so? You claim to be over one hundred, but that is impossible!"

"I see that you are strong willed. Very well… I will explain. I was once a human child. I had what many would consider a horrible life. I was born from a mother who did not want me. She was a whore, to put it briefly. One night, she had sex with a man, but was not careful enough. I do not know who my father was; she never saw that man again. I was born with a mother who did not care about me… who only saw me as a stress reliever. I was not even named by her, so I named myself. How I survived, I do not know. Somehow, I lived to be ten. I had no friends; my mother's reputation had taken care of that. One night though, everything changed. It was in December, if I recall…"

**FLASHBACK**

_Alene walked into her house, and looked around. _

_"I need to ask mommy if I can go to the library… where is she?"_

_She walked up, and into her mother's room, only see her mother and a man talking. Her mother, upon seeing her, went white. The man looked at Alene, and shook his head. "So, you do have a child. It figures, doesn't it? I knew all you wanted was money." He walked right by Alene, not even looking back, and left the house._

_Her mother immediately grabbed her by the neck. "You bitch! I told you; NEVER enter my room when I have company!"_

_Alene gave a choked, horrified sob as her mother struck her. After some time, her mother was finally too tired to hit her anymore. Alene was lying on the ground, trembling._

_"You are to never come into this house again. EVER. You are an accident, a mistake! I don't accept those."_

_Alene's mom took her and threw her outside, into the snow, locking the door behind her. Clad only in the pale, white dress, Alene was instantly struck with the bitter cold. She ran back to the door and pounded on it, sobbing._

_"Mommy, what's wrong? What did I do? Why do you hate me? Mommy, please come back and say you love me!" When no response came, the poor girl ran, not trying to hide her tears._

_It began to hail, yet Alene still ran until she could run no more. She looked around, and noticed she was in the park. She ran up to the icy pond, and looked at it miserably._

_"If mommy doesn't want me because it makes her sad… then I will make her happy."_

_Without a second thought, Alene threw herself onto the ice, instantly breaking through. Cold was an understatement for this water. She didn't even struggle, or try to swim. She just let herself be carried to her chilling death._

**END FLASHBACK**

Silent tears fell from Hope's eyes. Rue looked disgusted. Will had a look of sadness. Max was as cold as ever, although Hope thought she could see him give a pained look for a second. _It's probably just my imagination._

"If you were killed though… what happened?"

"I am not dead," Alene said simply. Hope was amazed. Throughout the whole tale, her expression had never changed.

"What?"

"My body is frozen at the bottom of that pond. Nobody has ever found it. There it has been trapped, for too long. My spirit was restless though… it escaped my body. This is my soul, in a more solid form. I cannot look any older or younger than this."

"But… aren't you sad? Or angry?"

"I lost all of my emotions long ago. My only purpose now is to serve My Lord. It may be only for his purposes, but at least I am of use. Now, take your turn."

_She wants to be loved… such a simple gift we take for granted was snatched away from her. Even Draken had someone who loved him…_

"A-alright then. I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"I will activate Emissary Of Obliteration. I select one face down monster, and remove it from the game. If it has a Reverse Effect, we remove all other copies of the cards in our decks as well."

"No! That was my Initiate Troops…" (1000/1000)

"I will summon Twilight Zone Female Warrior. (1500/1600) They will both attack your Life Points."

Hope: 2300

Alene: 5900

Hope groaned as she noticed her left arm was gone. Her right arm was barely showing. _Geez, my Duel Disk looks like it is floating in thin air. How bizarre._

"Your Female Warrior… what is her effect?"

"If I choose to, when she is attacked, I can remove her and the monster that attacked her from the game."

"Just great," Hope grumbled. She drew, and was still for a long moment. "Gaston… this move could cost us the match. Should I attempt it?"

"We are lost if we don't. Go for it."

"Alright. I can use Magical Giga Cyber's effect and Special Summon him to my side of the field, since you have two more monsters than me. (2200/1200) Now I play Change Of Heart on your Female Warrior, and sacrifice her for Undefeated General-Freed. Giga attacks your Witch, and Freed attacks you."

Hope: 2300

Alene: 2500

Alene didn't even flinch as her legs, left arm, and half of her right one vanished. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and play Black Core. By discarding one card in my hand, I can remove one of your face up monsters from play. So I destroy your Magical Giga Cyber by discarding Critter. Your turn."

 Hope frowned at her hand. "I attack with Freed."

"You attacked my Fiber Pod again."

"No!" Hope shuffled her deck and drew hastily. "Ugh… I'm glad I didn't summon yet. I lay down one monster, and one other card. I'm done."

"I play Emissary Of Obliteration. Remove your monster."

"My Rocket Warrior! (1500/1300)"

"I summon Critter, (1000/600) and equip it with Power Of Magics. (1500/600) Attack directly."

Hope: 800

Alene: 2500

Hope groaned. Almost all of her body was gone; all the spectators could see were her frightened, yet determined, eyes.

"I lay a card face down. I am done." _It will do her no good to summon a powerful monster… my Bottomless Pit Trap will eliminate her last defense._

Hope had to try a few times before her hand landed on her deck. "If I don't draw something good NOW, we're finished…"

"You can, and you will," Gaston assured. "Just remember that you have the cards to do the job. All you need to do is use them correctly.

"Hope nodded, and then remembered he wouldn't be able to tell. "I suppose. Ok…" She drew, and nodded grimly. "That's it. I have won." _I don't want to risk my Goblin Strike Team… what if she has another Bottomless Pit Trap? I'll have to be a little more creative. Of course, it still might be a Mirror Force, or Magic Cylinders. But I have to try!_

"Please explain how," Alene requested.

"I drew the card that can save me. I summon Troop Comander! (1200/400) With his effect, I am allowed to summon another level four or lower monster. So I call forth Twilight Zone Swordsman!" (1200/1000)

"So you use one too…" _While my trap will not work, she cannot win this turn with only them._

"I didn't know until now that I had one. I'm lucky I did though. Now I can defeat you. I equip my Troop Commander with Lightning Blade, raising his attack by 800! I also equip him with The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade! That raises his attack by another 800! (2800/400)"

"Then you have won."

"Correct. I know that your Critter could get you a monster that might save you… I've heard of Kuribo, for example…" Hope swallowed deeply. "So I can't risk it. My Twilight Zone Swordsman attacks, removing both of our monsters instantly. And my Troop Commander attacks you, finishing the duel!" Hope closed her eyes as she felt almost all of the rest of her body disappear. She felt desperately afraid, until she heard Gaston. 

"Hold on. You have won the match; just hold on for a few more seconds!"

Hope relaxed slightly, still tense.

Hope: 500

Alene: 0

Hope felt a warmth, and suddenly realized that her body was becoming visible again. Alene's, on the other hand, was vanishing rapidly. Besta's was already gone.

"Alene… I'm so sorry," Hope said. "Sorry for your life, and that you didn't get another chance."

For the first time since Hope had seen her, Alene changed expressions. She gave Hope a sad smile. "Don't apologize. I thank you for helping me. My existence has always been shrouded in pain and despair, so I blocked out all of my emotions. That was the wrong thing to do. Remember this Hope; feeling pain is always better than being an empty shell with no feelings."

With those words, Alene vanished completely, leaving the area where she had been as blank as everywhere else.

To be continued…


	19. Matters In Real Life

This chapter isn't very exciting, but it gets the job done.

***Chapter 19: Matters In Real Life***

Everyone was silent for a few minutes, staring at where Alene had been a few minutes ago. 

"Well, there's nothing else we can do. Shall we go?" To nobody's surprise, Neo had broken the silence.

"Uh… I guess so," Hope muttered.

"There's nothing else to do here, so yeah," Rue replied. "Erm… actually, HOW do we get out of here?"

Max gave an impatient sigh. "It looks like we have lost our way to the entrance. The question is, how do we find it again?"

Neo had an idea. "Actually, maybe I can help. I actually have the ability to teleport to a near-by destination. If I can find the entrance to the tunnel, I could point it out to you guys…"

Rue looked interested. "You can teleport? Cool." Then he realized that this was Neo they were talking about. "Wait… are you good at it?"

Will slapped his forehead in an exasperated way. "No, he isn't. It is probably one of our only chances out, though. Try it Neo."

Neo's hands began to glow a bright yellow, and he clapped them together. In a second, he had vanished.

"Now what?" Rue asked. "How long does it take for him to transport?"

"Just a few seconds," Will answered. 

"Then I guess we just wait? I hope he doesn't take to long… ARGH!"

Rue yelled in pain and shock as Neo landed on him from a few feet above him.

"Whoops… I guess I messed up my teleportation," Neo said sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You could apologize AFTER YOU GET OFF ME!" Rue shouted.

"Oh, sorry." Neo then got off a very angry Rue.

Will seized Rue's arms. "We need another plan," he remarked as Rue tried to break free to kill Neo.

"Well… why not just transport out of Teknisk Wereld?" Gaston suggested.

"Finally, a reasonable suggestion," Max said. "Alright, let's all log out." Max called up his menu, and pressed the blue button. Hope went next. Will released Rue right before he and Neo left, leaving Rue to shout a few rather rude remarks before vanishing as well.

*****

Everyone had made it back to Will's house smoothly, but they had to spend about thirty minutes trying to calm Rue down. After he was finally not trying to slaughter Neo, and actually put his battle ax down, they began to think about what to do next.

"I suppose we should eat first," Will suggested. "After that, we can just sleep until it's time to go back to Teknisk Wereld. The Soul Monsters can go back into their Soul Cards for now. That ok?" Everyone agreed. "Ok, then let me explain some things about my house. At the back is an additional area where computers are. There is also a couch that can fold into a bed there. Rue can use that, since he had it the hardest today. There is also a large freezer outside the expansion, with a lot of easy-to-make items inside. I just wish Neo would use these… AND follow the directions on the box." He glared at his companion, who seemed to find the ceiling very interesting. "I'm also glad that I am studying computer science. I had to reprogram the microwave so that it would automatically shut down if it started to overload. Neo always seems to mistake forty-five seconds for forty-five minutes…" He sighed. "I think you guys know the rest. Since I slept in the bed last time, Max can have it this time. Hope and I can use sleeping bags. Any questions?"

"I need to get some cards from my house," Max explained. "I will take a taxi and get them."

"May I go with you Max?" Hope asked. "I want to help you choose which ones to bring."

Rue gave a cat-call.

"Oh shut up!" Hope snapped.

Max thought for a minute, and then shrugged. "I suppose you can come. I'll call the taxi now."

The Soul Monsters immediately vanished into their cards, and Max walked out of the room, Hope following.

Will shook his head in amazement. "Max is letting Hope come with him? I never would have thought that all of people, he would accept help from her."

Rue smirked. "I can guess why. OW!"

Will opened up the newspaper he had hit Rue with. "Since Hope wasn't here to do that, I decided to fill in her place. Hm… more pathetic reassurances… Hah! Listen to this! "Teknisk Wereld is perfectly safe, but we are afraid it might have a few glitches. So the glitches do not get worse, we ask that you stay out of Teknisk Wereld until further notice." What a bunch of garbage! Why don't they try dueling one of those Generals?"

Rue rubbed the area where he had been hit gingerly. "Well, at least with all of their lies, nobody else will get hurt by the Generals. We need to keep innocents out of this. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to go and get something to eat."

*****

The taxi ride was quiet, only broken by Max telling the driver which turns to make. After about an hour, he announced that the driver should stop, and got out. Hope followed, and looked at the small house in front of her. Only one story high, it was a living space that might house up to four people comfortably, at the most. Max walked up to the house and unlocked it. Hope ran inside before the door closed, and found the front room to actually be pretty tidy.

"Max? Is that you?"

A girl emerged from another room. She looked to be about Max's age, and was just a little bit shorter than him. She wore a black, sleeveless shirt, with a white vest and a blue skirt. She had light blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, and light blue eyes.

"Yeah, it's me. Brandi, this is Hope," Max introduced.

"Hi Hope. I'm Brandi, Max's sister."

"Max's… sister? Max, you never told us you had a sister!"

"Echecs took care of that," Max coldly stated.

"What?" Hope was confused for a minute, until she remembered. "Oh yeah…"

**FLASHBACK**

_"It was good for him," Echecs laughed. "It convinced him to run away with his sister, as far away as he could get from his mother and step father. He and his sister have lived alone for more than six years now. Quite a tear jerker, wouldn't you say?"_

**END FLASHBACK**

"Er… sorry… I think I'll go and look for cards to bring." Hope ran off, blushing in embarrassment.

Brandi looked at Max curiously. "What was that about?"

"I'll tell you now."

After he told her the whole story, Brandi nodded. "I see. So I should be careful going to Teknisk Wereld?"

"Just be cautious," Max warned. "Keep your deck close at all times. We will try to stop them from taking over the whole server, and this foolish "ritual" they keep babbling about. What will you do?"

"If I see any, I will tell you right away," Brandi assured. "Take care of yourself Max; my life would be ruined if you died."

Max gave a rare smile to his sister. "As if I would die. I will see you later." He then walked up to his room, and saw Hope was examining a card, reading its name out loud. "Retrained Elven Swordsman…"

"Sound familiar?"

Hope jumped in surprise; she hadn't heard him come up. "Yeah. He looks just like Gaston… er, a regular Elven Swordsman."

"Slightly better though, isn't it? You can have it; I have no use for it."

"Thanks!" Hope smiled as she stuck it into her deck. "Well, I found all the cards that I think can help us." She showed Max a pile of cards that she had collected.

"Good. I will call another taxi. Grab those cards and let's go downstairs. Oh, and… please don't mention Brandi to the others."

"What?" Hope gave Max a doubtful look, but shrugged. "If that's the way you want it."

*****

"We're back!" Hope announced as she and Max walked in.

"About time!" Rue commented from Will's room. "We thought you had gotten into a car crash or something."

They ran up the stairs, and saw that Rue and Will were dueling without their Duel Disks. Rue was looking very annoyed at the situation. He had an empty field, while Will had out a Breaker with a Magic Counter, a Skilled Black Magician, and two other cards.

"Well, it takes us two hours to get there and back," Max pointed out.

"Meh, I suppose. Thunderbolt! Hah, counter this! I play Raise Dead on Black Magician, summon Gemini Elf, and attack!"

"Holy Barrier-Mirror Force."

"…"

"I play Magic Swordsman: Neo and attack you for the game." Will laughed. "Looks like you will have to do the dishes tomorrow."

"Damn it!" Rue snarled.

"Well, now that we are done with that, let's get to bed. We'll be back at Teknisk Wereld tomorrow, so rest while you can," Will advised, and then neatly dodged a shoe Rue threw at him.

*****

Everyone was sleeping peacefully for the most part. Of course, there is no rest for the weary, right? 

At about eight in the morning, Hope woke up abruptly to a loud explosion.

"What the hell was that?" Max grumbled. 

Will groaned. "Do you really want to know? I for one don't, but I have to check it out anyway." He then ran downstairs, Max and Hope following. 

Rue ran through the hall to meet them. "I get a feeling that this will not end well."

"Indeed," Max said dryly.

"NOT AGAIN! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU?! FIRST YOU DESTROYED THE MICROWAVE, THEN THE OVEN, AND THEN THE FREEZER! NOW THE TOASTER?! MUST YOU DESTROY EVERY COOKING DEVICE IN THIS HOUSE NEO?! AND WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU TRYING TO MAKE?!"

"Those Eggo things that you keep in that freezer," they heard Neo say.

"EGGO WAFFLES ARE EASY TO MAKE YOU IDIOT! BUT KNOWING YOU, YOU COULDN'T EVEN POUR CEREAL CORRECTLY! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO READ THE DIRECTIONS ON THE BOXES?! ARGH! GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN NOW! **NOW!"**

Neo ran out quickly, dodging a few pots and pans thrown after him.

"That's a pretty good alarm clock," Rue joked.

*****

Will ended up giving everyone cereal. Hope found it odd that they had to eat in Will's room, but had soon seen why, when she saw what condition the table was in. Apparently, the toaster had somehow exploded when it was on the table, making it an unsuitable place to breakfast.

"Neo, I am getting really sick of bagels and cereal! Why can't you destroy something that isn't in my kitchen for once? Even better, destroy the General's cooking ware!"

"I don't know where their kitchen is, or else I would."

"You hopeless fool!"

After Rue did the dishes (and complained the entire time), they departed for Teknisk Wereld.

*****

"Looks like we are back at the town," Hope noted. "I guess we will be here every time we come back to Teknisk Wereld."

"Which is why we should leave only when necessary," Rue pointed out. "So, where shall we go now?"

The Soul Monsters had already come out of their cards, and were examining the landscape.

"The lake?" Gaston suggested. "That's where we wanted to be, but the officials cut us off."

"They might still be there," Rue argued. "Let's go to the canyons. That area would probably have less guards."

The suggestion was a good one, and soon they were walking in the direction of where the canyons lay. Right before they left town though, they ran into a problem.

Will was leading, but he suddenly jumped back and spoke in a whisper. "Don't go further! There are officials ahead! We're outnumbered by at least five to one."

"So much for this idea," Rue complained. "We won't be able to get by now… unless one of us creates a diversion."

Hope suddenly had an idea. "Leave it to me! I can make them clear out. While they are chasing me, go into the canyons."

"Are you sure you can do it?" Will asked.

"I am."

"Then go ahead," Rue said. "It'd better be good though."

"Don't worry," Hope grinned. "Just watch."

*****

"This is so boring!" one of the officials complained. "Nobody's gonna show up; why should we have to keep guardin' this place?"

"Some other kids are rumored to be hanging around here," another responded. "If we see them, we are to capture them immediately."

"For arrest?"

"Two of them are younger, but the other two are old enough, yeah. So we just have to keep an eye out for those four little brats."

*****

That's when Hope decided to make her move. She flung herself out of her hiding place, behind the ruined building, and ran straight through the group of surprised officials, yelling at the tops of her lungs.

"THE BRITISH ARE COMING! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!"

Rue facefaulted. "Oh… my… gosh…"

"If they believe this, I'm the King of England," Will said sarcastically.

"What?! Oh no! They are?! RUN! THE BRITISH WILL KILL US!" Half of the officials began to run away from the town toward the lake, trying to get away from the "British", screaming.

The other officials were in a state of chaos for a minute, before pursuing Hope.

"What do you have to say now, Your Majesty?" Neo joked.

"Shut up and run toward the canyons," Will snarled.

They took his advice.

*****

Hope was a pretty good runner, which was why she was able to stay ahead of her pursuers. Still, she was beginning to tire. She was only thirteen, but the officials were full-grown men.

"Yep, I'm screwed," Hope muttered. 

Suddenly, a hole ripped open in the sky, and sucked Hope in. She was now in a dark orb, but was still able to hear the officials.

"Where did that brat go?"

"She had the British on her side! Maybe they helped her escape? YEOW!"

"Shut up you moron! That was a pathetic attempt to get us to follow her."

"Oh gosh! What if it was a diversion to get us away from the town? Everyone, forget about her, it's obvious she is gone! Get back to the town, now!"

There was a bunch of footsteps, and then silence. Hope was wondering how she was going to escape the orb when it suddenly disappeared, leaving her standing on the ground.

"Great distraction," Will said. "It was perfect. We all managed to get here."

"You're lucky those officials were a bunch of dorks," Rue commented. "I can't believe even one of them fell for that. Why the heck did you choose that to say anyway?"

"I've just always wanted to say that," Hope laughed. "I don't know why. I just have! One thing though: what happened back there?"

Max showed her a Magic card that he was holding. "That's what Worm Hole does."

"Thanks," Hope said. "I thought I was going to be caught for a few minutes back there!"

"Indeed," Rue stated. "Now that the party is over, let's go to the canyons already."

To be continued…


	20. Beginning To Get A Little Harder

Yet another duel. Enjoy. _

***Chapter 20: Beginning To Become A Little Harder***

After some time, the grass had slowly turned into solid rock. The walk had soon turned steep, but not even close to as steep as the mountain was. Like usual, Hope was last in line, panting, trying to keep up with the much fitter boys. 

"What concerns me is that we don't know how many Generals there are. It could be a big problem if their numbers are too great." Apparently, Will was relating what he thought about the situation.

"Still, we can't just sit back and watch them take over," Rue protested. "If we manage to hit one of the leaders, then the Generals will be like a snake without a head. So I think we should do that, rather than trying to duel and destroy every one."

"That's a good point; I'm surprised at who thought it up though," Will said. "First time for everything, eh Rue?" 

"Can we just keep going?" Max asked impatiently as Rue chased Will around, swinging the ax.

After some more walking, they finally reached their destination. Standing on the solid ground, they stared at the gorge. It was so deep that they couldn't even see the bottom. Hope picked up a rock and dropped it. Not a sound was heard as the stone fell, and fell, and fell, until it was out of sight.

"I'm glad I'm not afraid of heights," Neo commented. He looked a little bit pale though.

"I guess this is where we turn back," Hope decided. "We could cross that thing, but it isn't worth the risk."

Max spun around suddenly. "Somebody else is here."

A man was indeed there. He wore a gray long sleeved shirt, and silver pants. His casual shoes were black. His hair was silver, and down to his shoulders, but his eyes were what made his really weird. One was a normal blue, but the other was silver. You couldn't look at it for too long without wanting to turn away and avoid its stare. Around his neck was the fiery orb.

By his side was a huge Soul Monster. It looked like three pieces of machinery fit together. At the very bottom was a yellow tank-like device. It had tracks, and was obviously the most common way the machine got around. At its stomach area it was red, with a strange dragon-like head sticking out. A tail emerged from the other side of this part. The top part was mainly blue, with some gold. It had a cannon sticking out of each of its shoulders. All in all, it was pretty threatening.

"Looks like I found the next casualties in our slaughter," the man laughed. "I am called Kanon, and my killing machine over there is a XYZ Dragon Cannon-Avance if you can't remember his full title. As you can see, I am a General of Hell. I see that you are all duelists, so we will have the liberty of killing all of you. Who will be first?"

"I'll duel you," Rue announced. "I haven't gotten the chance in a while."

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

"What, you doubt me?"

"Yes."

"Gee, thanks for the support! Of course I can win!"

"Then go over there and get ready!"

Rue muttered under his breath some insults before walking toward Kanon. "Can we get a little bit farther away from that ravine?"

"Scared? I should have known. Fine, we can move. That won't be your biggest problem anyway." Kanon led them to the more stable, rocky ground.

"Hold on. I must do something very quickly." He spoke in a whisper to Avance; the machine responded just as quietly. "Well, some special adjustments have been made for this duel. You will see one of them soon enough; the other one will be of no concern to you for the time being. Shall we begin?"

"Let's dance!" was Rue's response.

Rue: 8000

Kanon: 8000

*****

Claire sighed. She was bored out of her mind. 

"If only I could go to Teknisk Wereld... but I know I can't. I promised Rue… he trusts me…"

She sighed, and walked downstairs. _Maybe there is something on TV besides stupid news reporters. You just can't trust those freaks. She grabbed the remote, and flicked on the TV. She expected to see another official trying to reassure the topic, but was very surprised to see two figures with Duel Disks facing each other. She didn't recognize one, but the other she knew all too well._

"Rue!"

*****

"I will begin this death match," Kanon announced. "Ah, what a good starting hand! I will lead the destruction by summoning X-Head Cannon in attack mode. (1800/1500) I will also lay one card face down. It is your turn."

Rue stared at the monster, and then his hand. "I can't risk your trap, so I will set one monster face down. Your move."

"How pathetic. Ah, look at what I have drawn. Already, I can unleash one of my best monster!" Kanon grinned evilly. 

"What? How?" Rue looked worried.

"I will start by summoning Y-Dragon Head! (1500/1600)"

"That's supposed to scare me? It's way too weak to do much good."

"Ah, but that is before I play my Front Line Base! Now I can special summon one Union Monster each turn. So I special summon Z-Metal Caterpillar! (1500/1300) And now, I can remove all three from the game to summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon! (2800/2500)"

Rue stared in horror at the intimidating machine, and then calmed himself down. "Ok, so you got your prize monster out. So what? You can't hit me with my monster protecting me."

"Ah, but I can. XYZ's effect allows me to discard one card from my hand to destroy any card on the field. So I discard Killer Snake and destroy your monster!"

"That was my Black Forest Witch… I will search my deck now."

"Not like it will do you any good. My menacing machine will attack you directly!"

The XYZ unleashed two powerful cannon blasts. Rue barely managed to keep his balance.

Rue: 5200

Kanon: 8000

"First blood for me. Now you will see what the conditions are for this duel."

"What?" Rue asked, and suddenly felt something happen to his legs. He looked at them, and stared, in shock. "What the?!"

"Feeling a little stiff? It's to be expected though."

Rue's legs were now gray, solid, and impossible to move. Just below his hips was where the material ended.

"It's… rock?"

"Correct. Every time we lose Life Points, we begin to become petrified. The loser of the fight will remain a statue for life, while their soul is sent straight to Hell."

"Damn you!" Rue snarled. 

"That's the worst you could come up with? I end my assault for the time being."

Rue drew, and smiled at the card he had drawn. "Your monster has one major weakness; it is easily destroyed by Magic cards!"

"Ah, but I prepared for that. I will activate my trap card. It is called Magic-Sealing Incense!"

"What does that do?"

"Now, neither of us can play magic cards from our hands. You must set them for one turn before activating them!"

Rue shrugged. "Big deal. I lay one monster in defense mode, and lay a card down. Your turn."

"Oh, but it is a big deal. For you see, I now get Killer Snake back, and can discard it to destroy your face down card!"

Realization dawned upon Rue. "So that means that as long as the Magic-Sealing Incense is in play, I can't use my magic cards before you destroy them."

"That's right. And I can also discard more than one card per turn. I will discard a Shine Angel (1400/1000) to destroy your face down monster."

"My Tenacious Old Magician and Thunderbolt are gone…"

"It looks like I get another direct attack."

Rue yelled out in pain as the monster hit him again.

Rue: 2400

Kanon: 8000

*****

Claire was in shock. If this was really happening, then the person she cared about the most would soon be torn away from her forever.

"Rue…" _What should I do? I must go there to help him… but I promised I wouldn't… _She looked back at the TV in time to see Rue's stomach and shoulders turned into stone. All he had left were his arms and head. That settled it. _I don't care that I said I would stay here. I'm going into Teknisk Wereld. I'm going to find Rue and help him._

She ran into her room, and fastened the Envoyant Machine on quickly. "Here I go." She pressed the green button.

*****

Rue gritted his teeth. "I'm not done yet." He drew, and sighed in relief. "Just what I needed. I summon Magic Warrior-Breaker! (1900/1000) I remove his counter to destroy your Magic-Sealing Incense! (1600/1000) Now I play Power Of Magics, raising his attack and defense by 500 for every magic or trap I have. So I lay down two cards, to raise his attack to an appropriate amount. (3100/2500) Attack the XYZ Dragon Cannon! I end my turn."

Rue: 2400

Kanon: 7700

Kanon growled in fury as his legs were snared in the cold rock. "That was a cute trick. I'm not one for pretty little moves though. It's my turn now, and I get Killer Snake. I am actually glad that you got rid of my trap, because now I can play Jar Of Greed from my hand. And I've drawn just the card I needed. I play Raise Dead, to call my XYZ Dragon back to the field!"

Rue shook his head. "I can't let you get away with doing that, so I activate Ruecian's effect! By discarding one card from my hand to the Cemetery, I can negate and destroy any magic card you play!"

"Damn. I guess I have no choice to activate my own Deck Master's ability. By discarding one card, I can destroy any card on the field. So you can say goodbye to Breaker as I discard Killer Snake. I will then summon X-Head Cannon to the field, and attack your Life Points."

"I counter with Torture Wheel! Your monster is trapped."

"Until next turn."

"I draw, and my Torture Wheel makes you lose 500 Life Points."

Rue: 2400

Kanon: 7200

"I know you will just destroy my Torture Wheel next turn, so I might as well kill your X-Head Cannon now. I summon Gemini Elf, and attack your X-Head Cannon!"

Rue: 2400

Kanon: 7100

"A petty amount of damage was done. It certainly wasn't enough to waste two cards on."

"Just make your move."

"I will. I get back Killer Snake, and discard it to destroy your face down card."

"There goes my Black Power Stone."

"After that, I will lay one card down. I'm done."

"I attack with Gemini Elf!"

"I activate Cry of the Living Dead. It looks like my XYZ is back. I also activate another Magic-Sealing Incense!"

Rue swore under his breath. "I cancel the attack. I switch Gemini Elf to defense mode, and lay two cards down. It's your turn." _Now it's up to luck._

"Hold on a minute!" Max interrupted. "XYZ can't be revived like that! You can only special summon him by his fusion effect."

"Normally, that would be true. Avance prevents that though. With him as my Deck Master, I can revive my XYZ Dragon Cannons with normal revival cards. It's time to continue. I get back Killer Snake. I discard Killer Snake to destroy Gemini Elf." He paused to think, and then continued. "I will also discard my Black Hole to destroy the card to my left."

Rue looked, and stared, horrified. "No! My Holy Barrier-Mirror Force!"

"It looks like I've won this battle. Go XYZ, attack directly!"

Rue smirked. "I activate Magic Cylinder!"

"What?!"

"You make assumptions too quickly."

"…End turn."

Rue: 2400

Kanon: 4600 

"Before we continue, I have something I have to ask. Why did you want to become a General of Hell? What's your reason?" Rue demanded.

"Why do you care?"

"All of you have some past experience that makes you turn out this way. I just want to know yours."

"I think we all do," Hope agreed.

Will couldn't resist throwing in his two cents. "Echecs had a reason?"

"Oh be quiet," Rue snapped.

"And why would I tell you brats my personal secrets? Just make your move, so I can win this duel."

"Fine, I will." Rue looked at the card he drew, and nodded. "I guess this will do. I lay down one card, and set one monster. Your turn."

Kanon drew, and frowned. "I get back Killer Snake. I discard it to destroy your face down card."

"I chain it! Cyclone, on your Cry of the Living Dead!"

"Bastard… I summon Black Forest Witch and attack your face down monster."

"My Cyber Pod activates! (900/900) All of our monsters are destroyed, first of all. So go ahead and use your Black Forest Witch's effect. The next effect is that we each pick up five cards off the tops of our decks and reveal them. I got Skilled Black Magician, another Skilled Black Magician, Gemini Elf, Black Magician Girl, and Saint Magician."

"I picked up Z-Metal Caterpillar, Mysterious Findings, Shine Angel, Y-Dragon Head, and Destruction Ring."

"Finally, we lay down any monster that is level four or less. I play Skilled Black Magician and Gemini Elf in attack, and Saint Magician in defense."

"I lay Shine Angel in defense mode, while Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Caterpillar go in attack. Now, I remove both of my machines from the game to fuse YZ-Caterpillar Dragon! (2100/2100) This monster can destroy any face down monster when I discard one card from my hand, but there is obviously not much of a point to this." He smirked. "I lay one card face down and end my turn."

"I draw…" Rue's grinned. "Yes!"

"Hold on; I have a trap card to activate. My Destruction Ring on Skilled Black Magician!"

Rue: 500

Kanon: 2700

"It doesn't matter," Rue stated. "I win."

Kanon laughed. "Actually, I would say you lose. Just look!"

"Rue stared at his arm in shock. "That's right… I lose more Life Points, so my arms are now trapped…" Realization hit Rue like a lightning bolt. "And if I can't play any cards, I lose!"

"Yes. Do you see now that you can't win?"

Rue groaned. "He's right… there's no point in continuing now…"

"It can't end like that!" Neo protested. "It's way too cheap!" 

"I play cheap, in case you haven't noticed," Kanon snickered. "So, do you surrender?"

Rue sighed in regret. _If only I could play this one card… just this one card…but I can't… I should just surrender…  _"Huh? Ruecian?"

Ruecian had walked up to Rue and looked at the card he was holding. The Soul Monster appeared to be in deep thought, and then simply took the card and then summoned it onto the monster zone, removing the Saint Magician for it. The monster appeared on the battle field.

"The Black Magician Girl?!" Kanon yelled, outraged. "But… but…!"

"Great idea!" Rue complimented. 

"A Soul Monster taking the duelist's place? But… that shouldn't have happened!"

"It's certainly not seen every day, but there is no rule against it," Will pointed out. "I would say you just got owned, and badly."

Kanon took a deep breath, as though to comfort himself. "It doesn't matter though. My YZ-Caterpillar Dragon is still stronger than your Black Magician Girl. (2000/1700)"

"Do you remember when I used Ruecian's effect?" Rue asked. 

"What of it?"

"The card that I discarded was a Black Magician. So my Black Magician Girl gets 300 more attack points! (2300/1700)"

"Ok, so you can destroy my monster. Big deal! You still can't win like that."

"Oh, but I can. Ruecian, would you please play the card I just drew face down?" He obliged. "Thanks. Now, Black Magician Girl attacks your YZ-Caterpillar Dragon, Skilled Black Magician attacks your Shine Angel, and Gemini Elf will attack the monster you get with Shine Angel."

"I got another Shine Angel. And with it, I get Y-Dragon Head."

"I'm done."

"I discard Killer Snake to destroy Black Magician Girl, Mysterious Findings to destroy your other Skilled Black Magician." He then paused. "I can't risk your trap. I switch Y-Dragon to defense mode, and set one monster down."

Rue smiled. "Trap? What trap? Ruecian, I need you to draw." He looked at the card. "Better than I hoped. First, I activate my face down card, Harpy's Feather Sweep! That will destroy all of your magic and trap cards! Then I activate Jar Of Greed. If I get what I want, I win." Ruecian drew the two cards and showed them to Rue. "Yep, that's game. Ruecian, activate the first one you drew. Yeah, that one. First off is my Black Magic Curtain!" Rue winced as his neck turned into stone. "I have to give up half of my Life Points, but in return, I special summon a Black Magician from my deck! Then my Thousand Knives card is activated! It destroys your face down monster!"

"My Critter… I get Z-Metal Caterpillar…"

"It won't help you though. I summon my own Killer Snake! My Gemini Elf destroys your Y-Dragon Head, Killer Snake attacks you, and my Black Magician attacks you directly!"

Rue: 250

Kanon: 0

Avance began to become engulfed by rock, and soon appeared to have transformed into a statue. The rock began working its way up Kanon, as the stone on Rue started to fade away.

"Alright… you won. I guess you can't win every battle you fight. Before I die though, I want to tell… you something…"

"Go on," Rue encouraged.

"I became a General of Hell so… I could have revenge. I was… ignored… cast out… all because I looked different." His silver eye stared right at Rue. "This eye of mine… cast me out of my own home. It made everyone… fear me… resent me… I wanted to repay the favor by… slaughtering them all… but I failed…" He gave a sickening smile. "Now that you… know… do you truly feel sorry… for me?" 

Kanon never spoke again. Completely petrified, his sightless eyes would never bother anyone again.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Kanon is cannon in Norwegian. Avance is advanced in French.


	21. An Unlikely Duel

New duel, have fun. _

***Chapter 21: An Unlikely Duel***

The first site Brandi saw when she opened her eyes was the ruined town.

"It's just as bad as I heard…" Brandi mused. "There probably won't be any Generals here…" She walked toward the exit of the town, only to find officials; she hid behind a burned building quickly. "This will be a pain…"

Brandi racked her brain for a solution; however, help came soon enough.

"THE BRITISH ARE COMING! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!"

"What the hell?" Brandi muttered. "Who's making that racket?" She looked at the officials from around her hiding spot, and was surprised to see them running off. "Wow… I knew they were dumb, but this dumb?" She shrugged, and ran out of the town quickly. She kept running until she found the lake. Once there, she stopped and took a breather.

"Whew… all clear." She looked at her pocket, and sighed. "I guess I have some time to deal with a headache."  She reached into her pocket, and took out a Soul Card. In a burst of light, her Soul Monster appeared. The Soul Monster looked like a female human, with long, blond hair and green eyes. She wore blue armor, which was outlined with pink. She also had a helmet that curved backwards, but not too much. Around her neck was a golden necklace with a red jewel in the middle. 

"HI BRANDI!" The Soul Monster grinned in an overly-excited way.

"Ow! Must you yell?"

"YES!"

"Argh! I'm happy to see you too Mana, but don't deafen me!"

The Black Magician Girl pouted. "Oh all right. It's just that you haven't been here for a full day!"

"I can't spend some time alone?"

"No!"

"Figures… Max came over, so we talked a bit." Brandi summed up the conversation they had had. "That's the gist of things. So now we have to find something that can help Max. I plan on going across the lake; that sound ok?"

"Sure, it sounds fun!" 

Brandi sighed. "I knew I should have brought Tylenol."

They walked along the side of the lake until Brandi found what she was looking for.

"Here's the dock, and a boat! Excellent… let's get onboard and go across the lake."

They got on and each picked up a paddle. Brandi gave her paddle a disgusted look. "It's too bad I have no cards that could make this go quicker…" 

They began to row, slowly crossing the lake. Brandi was tense, but Mana didn't appear to be. "When this is over, can we go and pick some daisies?"

"..."

Some time later, Brandi estimated they were near the center of the lake. "I think we are about to be halfway there. Just a little bit farther…"

Mana didn't appear to be listening though. "Some-something's wrong!"

Brandi had learned that although Mana could act quite bubble-brained, she could be serious when she wanted to. This was one of those times. "What is it?"

"I think something is below us!"

As she said those words, a whirlpool suddenly appeared below the boat, sucking them into the depths of the lake. All Brandi had time for was a cry of surprise before blackness invaded her senses.

*****

Brandi began to regain consciousness. She could hear someone banging on something nearby her, and she didn't want to have to put up with it.

"Will you please quit that? I have a big enough headache as it is!" she complained, opening her eyes. She quickly sat up at the site of where she now was. She was in what appeared to be a tank of some sort. The bottom of the tank she had been laying on was hard, black, cold metal. The tank was a cylinder shape, with a glass wall. The top of it was the same black metal she was on now. The tank looked as though about three people could maybe fit in, if forced to, by width standards. The tank itself was about a foot taller than Brandi.

"BRANDI! Are you ok?!" a muffled voice asked frantically. Brandi looked to her left to see Mana. Apparently, she had been banging the wall to try and revive her.

"I'm fine. Do you remember what happened?"

Mana nodded. "We got sucked in by a whirlpool of some sort. I don't know how you got in that thing-you were in there when I woke up." She shuddered. "This place gives me the creeps too…"

For the first time, Brandi noticed their surroundings. They were in a crater of some sort. It was deeper than the tank; that's all Brandi could make out. She looked ahead, and was surprised to see another tank. 

"What's the deal with that other tank?"

Mana shrugged. "I have no clue. Actually, I have no idea how that whirlpool suddenly appeared, or how we aren't being drowned by water. It's probably too high for you to tell, but at the top of the crater is water! We are at the bottom of the lake!"

Brandi started. "What? Then how come the water isn't coming in?"

"I'm not sure… wait! Do you hear something?" Mana held out her staff in an attack position as a woman and a Soul Monster walked into view.

The woman wore dark blue pants, and a light blue shirt. She had blonde hair tied back in a casual ponytail that went down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a very pretty blue; they stood out with her hair the color it was. They didn't stand out as much as the fiery orb she wore though. She had a black cloak draped over her shoulder as well.

The monster besides her looked like a man. He had wild black hair, and yellow eyes with no pupils. He wore a green skirt-like material around his waist, and carried a spear. He rode a whale of some sort… or was it a shark?

"Who are you?!" Brandi demanded. "Judging by what I have heard, you seem like a General of Hell to me."

"You have heard correctly," the woman replied, her voice echoing around the enclosed space.

"Brandi frowned. "Your voice… it sounds familiar… have we met?"

"Have we met?" the woman laughed. "HAVE WE MET? Of course we have met! I can't believe that you don't recognize me! Maybe this small space throws off my voice too much, but you should still know me by how I look."

"How about you refresh my memory?"

"I suppose I can do that. Do you remember the day when your brother, Max, identified the bank robber who had killed his father?"

"I remember that day quite clearly." Brandi pondered for a few seconds, and then realized something she should have noticed before. "Wait! You were there too! You were on the bank robber's side…"

"Of course I was. What kind of a wife would I be if I didn't support my husband?" 

"You were his wife?!" Brandi exclaimed. 

"Yes, I was. I loved him like no other, and he loved me just the same. He would have never tried to rob anyone if he wasn't worried about me!" the woman shouted in grief and anger. "He just wanted to help me! We were too poor to support ourselves, so he decided to steal to assist me! He never thought he would have to murder someone, but even though he did, I still loved him! I was forced to watch him be slain; the one reason I wanted to live!" Tears sprang from her eyes. She wiped them away and continued to explain, still sobbing. "I-I-I couldn't get over his d-death! I v-vowed I w-w-would get revenge on th-the one who killed him! Y-your brother! B-but not by killing h-him; that would b-be too quick! I will k-kill the only one he l-loves and watch h-him live a l-l-life of torture!" She stopped talking and took several deep breaths to calm herself down. "So I will defeat you in a duel, killing you, and breaking your brother's heart as he broke mine!"

Brandi felt a little sorry for the woman, but not enough. "Your husband killed our father! That was enough torture for us to go through!"

"That was not enough! You just don't know what love is! You will never have the chance either!" She stepped into the tank opposite of Brandi. It closed automatically, leaving her Soul Monster outside. "I, Aurora, will avenge the death of my husband, and love, Verstorben! My Deck Master will be The Legendary Fisherman, otherwise known as Visser!"

Brandi activated her Duel Disk with a sigh. "Fine; if we must duel, I am up to it. Mana will be my Deck Master."

Brandi: 8000

Aurora: 8000

"Ladies first, and little girls last," Aurora stated.

"Care to rephrase that?" Brandi threatened.

Aurora ignored her. "I lay two cards down, and summon Rainbow Fish. (1800/800) I am done with my turn."

"That was a bad move," Brandi complained. "I summon Blood Vors! (1900/900) Attack the fish!"

The Blood Vors rushed forward to slice up the Rainbow Fish, but suddenly stopped in its tracks, sinking to the ground. It tried to get up, only to fail.

Brandi swore. "Gravity Bind!"

"Indeed," Aurora said. "Did you say something about a bad move?"

"Shut up," Brandi snarled. "I lay one card down, and end my turn." Something was bothering Brandi about this strategy. "You know, there is a problem with your plan."

"What would that be?"

"Your Rainbow Fish is a level four monster too; therefore, it can't attack me."

Aurora drew, and then shook her head. "You would be right, but I just drew the card I wanted. I play a field magic card: The Legendary City Atlantis!"

A huge temple emerged from the ground. Water went everywhere as it rose from the ground, flooding the field. Mana held onto the tank so that she would not be swept away, while Visser seemed to be enjoying it.

"Not cool," Mana complained.

"What's the big deal about that?" Brandi asked.

"Why don't you look at my Rainbow Fish?"

Brandi stared at it. "It's able to swim! How can Gravity Bind not be affecting it?"

"Atlantis lowers all Water Main-Type monsters' level by one. So now my Rainbow Fish is at level three. Atlantis also counts as a Sea field magic, so my Fish Sub-Type monster gets an attack and defense bonus! (2000/1000) Now I will have Rainbow Fish attack your Blood Vors!"

Brandi: 7900

Aurora: 8000

Brandi was about to draw her card, when she felt something at her feet. She looked down, and saw what it was. "Water! Really cold water…"

"That is the way this Death Game will be played. As we lose Life Points, the water will begin to fill this tank. In the end, the loser will die because of lack of oxygen." Aurora smiled gleefully. "I will enjoy seeing your brother's reaction."

Brandi grimaced as she looked at her hand. _I don't play any Water Main-Type monsters, and none of my monsters will benefit from Sea. So I will have to destroy Atlantis, and then Gravity Bind… I play Cyclone on Atlantis, and then lay one monster in defense mode. Your turn."_

Aurora snickered. "That was a waste. You should have destroyed Gravity Bind. I play Terra Forming! When I play this card, I am allowed to search for one field magic and put it into my hand." She grabbed an Atlantis from her deck, and then shuffled it. "Now I will activate my new Atlantis! I will also summon Mermaid Knight! (1500/700) She gets a bonus too, being a Water Sub-Type. Her level is also lowered to three. (1700/900) Mermaid Knight can attack twice in one Battle Phase, so you should prepare for quite a bit of pain. Mermaid Knight, attack her defense monster!"

"Not this time," Brandi countered. "I activate Curse of Darkness! Now your Mermaid Knight cannot attack, and she loses 700 attack points! (1000/900)"

"A minor setback… Rainbow Fish attacks your monster then."

"You attacked Sphere Bomb! (1400/1400) It now becomes an equipment card for your Rainbow Fish. On your next Standby Phase, it will destroy your Fish, causing you to lose Life Points equal to its attack!"

"Very lucky, I'm sure. It's your turn."

"I summon Critter! (1000/600) I attack your Mermaid Knight, bringing both monsters down! Now I can search my monster for a monster with an attack of less than 1500, and add it to my hand. Now I shuffle my deck. I lay one card down, and end my turn."

"I draw, and my Rainbow Fish is destroyed." She bit her lip as the tank filled up to her knees in freezing water.

Brandi: 7900

Aurora: 6000

"Now I summon Seazareon! (1800/800) He is a Water Sub-Type; you know the drill. (2000/1000) I attack you directly!"

Brandi braced herself as the red sea snake dove right through the glass to bite her.

Brandi: 5900

Aurora: 6000

Brandi shuddered. "It's ice cold!"

"I lay one card down, and then end my turn."

Brandi looked at the card she had drawn, and sighed with relief. "I play Black Hole! Now your Seazareon is destroyed!"

"Not quite," Aurora smirked. "I activate Visser's Deck Master ability. By paying 1000 Life Points, my monsters will not be effected by the magic card you just played."

Brandi: 5900

Aurora: 5000

Brandi scowled, looking at her hand. "I lay one monster in defense. It's your turn."

"It looks like I can take the lead now. I summon Water Configuration Bakross MK-3! (1500/1300) (1700/1500) My Seazareon will attack your defense monster."

Brandi grinned. "You attacked my Soul-Hunting Specter. (300/200) This monster cannot die in battle."

"I suspected something like that; this is where Bakross comes in handy. When the Sea card is on the field, it can attack you directly. Bakross, bypass her pitiful defense and strike her down!"

Brandi: 4200

Aurora: 5000

Brandi groaned as the water got higher. "My legs are numb…"

"Quit complaining and take your turn."

"Fine," Brandi snapped. "I lay another monster down. I'm done."

Aurora shook her head. "You must think I am an amateur. I know that monster can probably destroy my Bakross, which is why I will have him attack you directly first!"

Brandi: 2500

Aurora: 5000

Aurora ignored Brandi's struggles to stay afloat. "I will now attack your new monster with Seazareon."

"Cyber Pod," Brandi said. "Now it is all based on luck… I got Turner Of The Dead: Kaiku, Android-Psycho Shocker, Black Forest Witch, Torture Wheel, and Dark Zone."

"I picked up Sea Dragon Warrior Of Darkness, (1800/1500) Terra Forming, Gravity Bind, Mermaid Knight, and Salvage."

"I play both of my monsters in defense mode."

"All of mine go into attack mode. (2000/1700) (1700/900) Mermaid Knight attacks both of your monsters, and Sea Dragon Warrior Of Darkness attacks you!"

Brandi: 500

Aurora: 5000

Brandi was almost completely submerged in water. She took a few minutes to calm herself down before drawing her card, shivering in the cold.  
"I play Dark Zone! That will destroy your Atlantis!"

"True, it does. I can chain with Cyclone though, to destroy your Dark Zone." 

"No! Then it's hopeless…" Brandi ground her teeth together in frustration. 

"Come on Brandi!" Mana yelled. "We aren't done yet! What about my Deck Master ability?"

Brandi nodded. "That should do the trick. Alright, I activate Mana's Deck Master ability! I can look at as many cards on top of my deck as I have in my Cemetery. I have six monsters in my Cemetery, so I get to look at my top six cards." Brandi took a hasty look, and smiled. "Now I choose one, and put it into my hand. I've made my choice, so now the cards go back to their original position. I play the magic card Theft! I get to take control of your Sea Dragon Warrior Of Darkness! Now I sacrifice it to summon Android-Psycho Shocker! (2400/1400) Now all of your trap cards are negated. I lay two cards face down, and attack your Mermaid Knight!"

Brandi: 500

Aurora: 4300

"That was the last hit you will be able to do to me. I play Terra Forming, getting Atlantis! Now I play it! I will also play one monster in defense mode, and Sealing Swords Of Light. Your turn."

"I pass."

"In that case, I win. I sacrifice my face down Rainbow Fish for Leviadragon-Daidaros! (2600/1500) (2800/1700)"

"What are you planning?"

"Daidaros' effect allows me to sacrifice a face up Sea card to destroy every card but itself on the board." She grinned wickedly. 

"Hold on," Brandi interrupted. "I activate Cyclone on Atlantis!"

"You brat!" Aurora growled. "I attack your Android!"

Brandi: 300

Aurora: 4300

With some difficulty, Brandi drew her next card. "I activate Harpy's Feather Sweep! Your Gravity Bind is destroyed."

"So is my Tidal Wave."

"I now play Thunderbolt!"

"I negate it."

Brandi: 300

Aurora: 3300

Brandi grinned. "Thank you for paying 1000 Life Points. Now I can destroy you. I play Raise Dead on Blood Vors!"

Aurora shook her head. "You are such an idiot."

"I equip my monster with Power Of Magicians, and lay another card face down! (3400/2400) He attacks! Now I am done."

Brandi: 300

Aurora: 2500

"Hah! I have drawn the monster that will defeat you! I summon another Water Configuration Bakross MK-3! (1500/1300) It attacks directly!"

"Hold on! I activate Torture Wheel!"

"No! I end…"

Brandi nodded grimly. "I lay another card down."

Brandi: 300

Aurora: 2000

"I play Cyclone on your Torture Wheel, and then attack again!"

"I play Attack Nullification."

"I lay one card down, switch my monster to defense, and end my turn…"

"I won't pay. Now I will win. First, I play Dark Zone! (4400/2500) I will play Jar of Greed." Brandi breathed a sigh of relief. "I equip Blood Vors with Demon Axe! (5400/2500) And now, I play the magic card that will end this duel!"

"And what would that be?"

"Enemy Controller! I can now switch the mode of one monster on your field, and I choose your Bakross! Now it is in attack mode!"

"What?! NO!"

"Blood Vors, attack for the win!"

Brandi: 300

Aurora: 0

Visser was swept underwater with a powerful wave of water. He did not submerge. The tank Aurora was in quickly filled with water.

"My love… I'm sorry!"

That was the last thing Aurora ever said. Her body was soon floating in the tank, staring with lifeless eyes. Brandi's tank automatically opened, releasing the water and Brandi. Mana was immediately there, supporting the freezing teen.

"We won! What a comeback! I knew we could do it!" Mana chattered excitedly.

"Yeah…" Brandi said. She looked away from her former opponent. "We won. Now let's figure out how to get out of here." 

Mana found the boat, in surprisingly perfect condition, inside the whirlpool. Mana shuddered. "Should we?"

"Yes." They got in the boat, and to their delight, it was carried back to the lake. The whirlpool vanished afterwards.

"So now what?" Mana asked.

"We need to find Max." Brandi pondered, and suddenly snapped her fingers. "Of course! That person I heard back at the town… that was Hope! I thought I recognized that voice… we need to get back to the town!"

To be continued…


	22. Guarding the Dead

This took a little bit more than forever to upload, and I'm sorry. _

GearFried the Iron Angel: Warriors are my favorite type of monster, so of course my main character will use them. _ I'm glad you liked chapter eight. You know what the sad thing is? I based those off of two real people. "Ifrit" really made those moves in several duels, so I can't take credit. _ 

Whispering Hope: o_O Pretty? WTH? I am guessing that's a compliment, so thanks? _

***Chapter 22: Guarding the Dead***

They stared at the statues for a few minutes, shocked. Except for Max; he was looking bored. 

"We can't stay here forever… shall we move on?" he suggested.

Hope nodded. "Good point, but where should we go?"

"Well, we were going to turn away from that gorge… but why not try to cross it?"

Rue just looked at him. "Are you mad?"

"Use your Time Capsules. It will get us across easily enough, right?"

After many threats, Rue finally used the Time Capsules. They made it over the gorge without a problem, although Hope had to be forced into her Capsule. They then walked away from the gorge as quickly as they could. The road was now downhill; luckily, the going was easy. They kept walking until Gaston said, "I think I see something ahead. A cave, I assume."

That was indeed what it was. "Should we go in?" Hope asked.

"There's nowhere else to go," Will pointed out. So without further thought, they went in.

The cave was dark and dry. Fortunately, Max had his Dark Piercing Light with him this time, so he lit it right away. It was still a creepy atmosphere though. Hope screamed, startling everyone but Ruecian, who calmly chopped the Giant Rat that had been in front of them apart.

"I don't like this place…" Hope whimpered.

"I can see that," Rue stated. "Want to go back?"

"As if!"

Eventually, they reached a fork in the road. "Which way do we go?" Hope asked.

Rue threw his axe in the air. It landed with the blade pointing left. "Let's trust luck." They began walking that way.

After some time, Max beckoned them to halt. "It looks like we found what we were looking for." He held out the card in his hand, sending light over the scene in the main cavern.

It was a cemetery. Tombstones were everywhere, coffins were thrown about, blood stains dyed the floor red. Hope saw a white item on the floor, and turned away with a groan when she saw it was a human arm, the flesh picked off. Some of the graves had body parts sticking out, adding to the awful stench in the room. Will noticed that there was another way out, but it was blocked with a boulder.

"It's horrible…" Hope murmured. 

Rue gave the site a sick look. "Who killed all of these people? And why did they attempt to bury them?"

A man sprang from a ledge at the top of the cave to the ground in one swift movement. Even when he threw aside the long, black cloak, he had a brown one on, concealing all but the lower half of his face. He wore the same orb that all Generals of Hell did. What attracted the most notice was the spear that he carried. It might have once been silver, but it was now stained red.

A Soul Monster was with him. The brown-skinned man wore a blue shirt, green pants, and a brown belt, covered by a black and white robe. He had brown eyes, and a very short, black beard. He carried a golden staff, with a cobra's head at the top. 

The man pointed his spear at them. "Now that you have seen this area of destroyed lives, you must become one of the countless corpses that lie in this graveyard for all time."

"Is that what you call a run on sentence?" Neo asked Will.

"Why are you more concerned with that then that we are about to be skewered?" he hissed back.

The man stabbed forward with his spear, meaning to impale Max. Max was quick though. He drew his katana and blocked the attack swiftly, and then applied enough force to push the man and spear back, toward the center of the room. The man attempted to strike through Max's defensive moves several times, only to be stopped by swift movements of the younger, fitter man. At one such block, Max swiftly grabbed the spear handle with his free hand. Holding onto it, his other hand with the katana moved too fast to see. The man's shoulder was pierced completely through with the steel. Hope felt horribly fascinated to see the katana emerge from the back of the man. He gave a shout of pain and fell to one knee, dropping the spear. Max calmly pulled the katana out of his shoulder and pointed it at the man's neck.

"Surrender?" Max touched the man's throat with the cold point of the katana. Olympion was easily holding off the man's Soul Monster with his sword. Seeing that there was no way around the loss, the man sighed.

"Yes."

Max stepped back to let the man get up. The man stood still for a few seconds, his hand concealed by his cloak. Suddenly, he revealed his hand in a throw, hurling dirt into Max's eyes. Although blinded, he heard the spear coming, and managed to bring the katana up in time to stop his windpipe from being torn. He cleared his eyes quickly, only to see that it was a stalemate. Both of their weapons were inches away from the other's throat; one move would result in death. 

"It looks like we tied," the man stated.

"That was a cheap trick!" Hope protested.

"Maybe, but there were no boundaries to this fight," the man point out. "I suppose we only have one way around this. We will duel, and the loser will be the one to die."

"Agreed," Max said. They drew away from each other. Max swiftly wiped the blood off of his blade, and sheathed it. The man's shoulder was bleeding freely, and the man turned his concern to it.

"I will duel with this handicap," he announced. "I have had worse injuries. To make sure I do not die of blood loss though…" He pulled a card out of his cloak, and muttered something. A red bottle materialized, and he drank it. Almost immediately, the wound sealed, leaving hardened blood as the only evidence that it had been there. 

_That's weird… Hope thought. _Before he used the card, he felt the top, where the name of the card was. Why did he do that? __

"Red Potion," Will realized. "It can close wounds, but it doesn't heal the pain it brings. That could cause this man to make some serious errors."

"I wouldn't count on that. My endurance is remarkable."

"So is your modesty," Neo noticed.

He ignored the comment. "Well, are you prepared?"

"Yes."

"Refer to me as Morte. No need to introduce yourself Max-we've met before."

Max frowned. "What?"

"I'll explain after we duel."

*****

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!!!"

"Are we there yet?"

Brandi was resisting the urge to beat the stuffing out of her grinning companion. "If you ask again, I can guarantee you will know what the definition of pain is in ten seconds."

Mana wisely decided to keep her questions to herself after that.

They had made their way there with all speed. When reaching the gorge, Brandi had been fortunate to have a Time Capsule with her as well. Mana had no problem crossing, as she had the ability to float. In fact, she did float most of the time, unless she was forced not to. They were now making their way downhill swiftly. 

Satisfied that her friend would not annoy her again, Brandi looked ahead again, and saw something. 

"A cave, eh? Max probably went in there," Brandi realized. "Let's go inside. Be cautious though."

"Yes sir!" 

Brandi glared at Mana.

"I mean ma'am!"

They walked in quietly. Brandi made use of her own Dark Piercing Light. After some time, they came across the fork that the group had found.

"Left is always right," Mana suggested.

"Since you were the one to offer that, let's go right."

Mana shrugged, but did not argue. 

They finally reached a dead end, with a rock blocking the area. Brandi gave it a disgusted look. "Don't say anything."

Mana covered her mouth with her hands, giggling softly.

Brandi noticed a crack in the boulder, and looked through it. While not big enough to get through, she could still see what was happening.

"There's Max. He's dueling. Let's watch-my brother wouldn't like it if we interfered right now."

*****

Max: 8000

Morte: 8000

"I will make the first move," Morte declared. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. That is all."

_Again, he felt his cards. What is wrong with this guy? Hope's thoughts belonged only to her though._

"Hm…" Max muttered. "I drew Gil Gars. You take 500 damage due to Olympion's effect, and I draw again. 

Max: 8000

Morte: 7500

"I summon Gil Gars. (1800/1200) It will attack your defense monster."

"You attacked my Gravekeeper Infiltrator. (1200/2000) You lose 200 Life Points. I also get to search my deck for a Gravekeeper monster with less than 1500 attack and special summon it to the field, thanks to its reverse effect. So I special summon Gravekeeper Chanter. (800/800) When this monster is summoned, reverse summoned, or special summoned, you lose 500 Life Points." He began to search his deck, running his hand over every card. "If you will excuse my delay, this might take some time… ah, here is one." 

Max: 7300

Morte: 7500

Max was about to comment on the move, when he suddenly felt himself sinking into the ground. The ground had swallowed part of his legs, just below his knees.

"So this is the condition for losing Life Points?"

"That is correct. When we are done with this duel, I will have no need to dig you a grave."

Max seemed unconcerned with the threats. "I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Morte felt the card he drew, and seemed satisfied. "My next card will show you the true power of my deck. I play The Sleeping Valley of the Pharaoh-Necrovalley!"

At the ground, a thick fog emerged. Max was not exactly impressed.

"You threaten me with fog?"

"Allow me to explain what Necrovalley does. All of my Gravekeeper monster get 500 more attack and defense points, for one thing. (1700/2500) (1300/1300) Also, our Cemeteries are now off limits to us."

Max frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Any magic, trap, or monster effect that refers to the Cemetery, including those that remove cards, is negated while Necrovalley is out. Do you understand now?"

Max looked at his hand. "So Raise Dead would be useless, for example?"

"That's right. I am also well aware that you could easily destroy my Necrovalley, so I will activate Magic Guarder. This puts a counter on my Necrovalley. When it is supposed to destroyed, this counter will be destroyed instead. You should also remember that I have two other Necrovalleys in my deck, along with more Magic Guarders. In other words, you will have to learn to accept that Necrovalley will be the field for almost the entire duel."

Max swore under his breath. He knew that Morte was probably speaking the truth, but it didn't make the situation any better. 

"I summon Gravekeeper Gunner. (1900/1700) I will have him attack your Gil Gars."

"I activate Torture Wheel on Gravekeeper Gunner."

"In that case, I activate his ability. By sacrificing one monster on my side of the field, you lose 700 Life Points. I cannot sacrifice a Gravekeeper Gunner unfortunately, so I sacrifice my Chanter."

Max: 6600

Morte: 7500

Max waited until the sinking sensation had stopped before drawing his next card. "I drew Twilight Zone Trainer. That means Olympion's effect will now activate. You take 500 damage, and I draw a card. My next card is not a Demon unfortunately… You also take 500 from my Torture Wheel."

Max: 6600

Morte: 6500

"I place one monster in defense mode."

"I will pass," Morte stated, after running his fingers over the card.

Max: 6600

Morte: 6000

"Stop the match!" Hope yelled. "Hold on! Don't make your move yet!"

Max glared at her impatiently. "What is it?"

"Hasn't anyone else noticed what that man is doing?" Hope asked. "Every time he draws, he doesn't even look at his cards. He feels them. What is with that?"

Morte smirked. "It took you quite a long time to notice that."

"I realized it at the beginning, but I didn't mention it until now," Hope explained.

"And you still don't realize what the problem is?"

Will suddenly knew. "You're blind!"

Morte threw off the hood of his cloak, revealing short, brown hair, and his eyes. They stared out at them unseeingly. "That is correct. I was born in darkness, and remain that way to this day."

Rue gave Will a bewildered look. "How did you know?"

"Read some Redwall books sometime. Not to mention that it was obvious enough."

"Obvious to you maybe!"

"Obvious to anyone who has an IQ greater than a rock, you mean. Max was preoccupied by the duel, so he can be forgiven…" He then sidestepped an axe swing. "Must you keep swinging that thing around? You could hurt someone with it."

"That's what I'm trying to do, you idiot!"

Max interrupted them. "You said you knew me already-how?"

Morte shrugged. "I suppose now is a good enough time to explain. I killed the bank robber that killed your father."

"So that's where I have seen you…" Max snarled. "I thought you looked familiar…"

"That can't be true!" Gaston protested. "Echecs killed him!"

"It is understandable that you would not know what a sniper squad is," Morte said. "Five  shoot at the same time to kill a victim. However, four men have blanks; only one has rounds."

"What are blanks and rounds?" Hope asked.

"Blanks are fake bullets, while rounds are real. That means that none of the men will hold guilt over killing someone, because they don't know who did. That fool Echecs only thought he had killed the man. I was the actual murderer."

"How are you so sure?" Neo asked.

"I am blind, so my senses are enhanced. I was able to tell that my bullet had struck the man dead by hearing alone."

"Yet you feel no guilt?" Rue inquired.

"Why should I feel responsible? I haven't even lived a life. My mother was the one I inherited my weakness from. She was frail, and was blind from the point of her childhood. She died when giving birth to me. My father, struck with grief, killed himself to be with her. I lived a life of hardships, resenting all of those who have had something to be happy for. So I joined the Generals of Hell to have a purpose. A grisly one maybe, but it keeps me sane, even though the only thing I know is the black that surrounds me. I became a guard of the ones I killed, for we have something in common-the only thing we have to know now is darkness."

"Many people in this world are blind, and they have lived lives as good as any!" Hope shouted. "Why should yours be different?"

"You are too innocent… you will never understand. This has been a waste of time… make your move Max."

Max took a few minutes to decide what he wanted to do. "I flip summon my Newt. (1900/400) By doing this, it gets another 500 attack and defense points. (2400/900) Now Newt attacks your Gravekeeper Gunner."

Max: 6600

Morte: 5500

"I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

Morte grinned in a satisfied manner. "I activate Black Hole. Now all of our monsters are sent to the Cemetery. Next, I activate my face down card, Cry of the Living Dead! Now my Gravekeeper Gunner revives."

"What? But you can't access your Cemetery with traps!" Max protested. 

"My Soul Monster, the Gravekeeper Leader, or Jefe, takes care of all of my problems. I have free access to both Cemeteries, even when Necrovalley is out. So my Cry of the Living Dead is unaffected."

"Yet I'm bound by the rules," Max realized.

"Exactly. I now summon Gravekeeper Assassin. (2000/2000) Both of my monsters attack you directly."

Max: 2700

Morte: 5500

Max growled as he dove further into the ground. "Just my luck…"

"I lay one card down. Your move."

"I drew Dark Necrophia."

Max: 2700

Morte: 5000

"I can't use her, but I still have plans with her. I activate Angel's Gift. I draw three, and then discard Dark Necrophia and my useless Raise Dead. Now I lay one monster face down, and two cards. I'm done."

"I lay one monster in defense. Now my Assassin attacks."

Max wasn't concerned until his Twilight Zone Trainer suddenly revealed itself. (100/2000)

"What's going on? I put that in defense mode!"

"As long as Necrovalley is out, my Assassin can switch the position of your monsters. Now that your monster is in a weaker position, you should be more concerned about your Life Points than small matters."

"That's why I have my Attack Nullification."

"Then I am done."

"I sacrifice my Twilight Zone Trainer to summon Demon King of the Underworld: Ha-Des! (2450/1600) He attacks your Assassin. I lay one card down."

Max: 2700

Morte: 4550

Morte seemed completely ignorant of the fact that he was sinking into earth that contained rotten flesh and bleached bones. "I will flip summon my Gravekeeper Guard. (1500/2400) This monster's reverse effect states that I choose one monster on your side of the field, and it is sent to your hand, and I choose Ha-Des of course. Now I summon Gravekeeper Spearman. (2000/1500)"

"I activate Ambush, allowing me to special summon Giant Orc from my hand. (2200/0)"

"I lay one card face down, and end my turn."

"What does Gravekeeper Spearman do?" Hope asked.

"It has a Trample effect," Rue explained. "A Trample effect basically does damage even if the monster being attacked is in defense mode."  
"So this General of Hell is running a Gravekeeper deck… how appropriate," Will mused. "Seeing as he guards this Cemetery, I suppose it's only natural. He also unleashed its full potential… the main goal of a Gravekeeper deck is to get out a Necrovalley, and then swarm the opponent, I assume."

Max concentrated on what he drew. "I lay one card down. I then sacrifice Giant Orc to bring out Ha-Des again. He attacks the Spearman."

Max: 2700

Morte: 4100

"This is where you fall. I first activate Imperial Sacrifice. This magic card can only be activated when I have Necrovalley out. It forces us to place any monsters we have in the Cemetery." 

Max discarded the last three cards in his hand to the Cemetery, while Morte had none to get rid of.

"I now play Thunderbolt, destroying your Ha-Des. Then I activate Raise Dead on Gravekeeper Spearman. I also activate Ritual of Spirits. This trap allows me to revive one monster with Gravekeeper in its name from my Cemetery to my field. Necrovalley doesn't negate this card, by the way. It isn't like it matters though. I choose to revive my Assassin."

"I activate Bottomless Pit Trap, removing it from the game."

"You still lose. Gravekeeper Guard and Spearman attack."

I activate Magic Cylinder on Spearman's attack!"

"You are still hit by my Gravekeeper Guard."

Max: 1200

Morte: 2100

Max winced as his foot encountered something that seemed soft, yet broken. _A body probably… what a field day I'm having.___

"I end my turn. You have no cards on the field, and none in your hand. Do you really think you can win?"

Olympion simply stared at Max, waiting for him to draw. Max was hesitant to though. _What if I don't draw what I need? Then I'll lose… but I can't. Not yet…_

From her watching place, Brandi could not stand it any more. "That's it! Mana, blast this stupid rock apart!"

Mana stared at her. "But I'm not strong enough to…"

"Then I activate Power of Magician's on you! Now blow up this dratted thing!"

Mana slowly nodded, and raised her staff. It began to glow. She pointed it at the rock as it sparked. 

Rue had been leaning against the rock, his face etched with worry, when he suddenly heard the girl yell. "What? Who's that? What's going on?"

The explosion rocked the cave. Rue was blasted all the way across the room, away from the boulder, slamming into a wall. Will was forced to the ground when Neo lost his balance, falling on him. Gaston might have had a concussion, had his helmet not saved him from a flying rock. Hope grabbed a cave wall for support, barley managing to keep her balance. Ruecian ducked just in time to avoid yet another flying rock, and Olympion just stood there.

_That's one advantage to being buried… Hope thought ruefully. __Max is having no problem keeping his balance. _

Mana walked through, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Whoops… I guess I overdid it, huh? Sorry!"

 "Don't make understatements… Neo, get off me!" Will threw the Soul Monster off him and looked over at Brandi and Mana. "A Black Magician Girl and someone else? Who are you?"

Max looked over at her. "Brandi?"

Rue got up slowly, wincing. "You know her?"

Hope let go cautiously as Ruecian went over to make sure Rue was not dying, and Gaston made sure he was not injured by the rock. 

"Brandi? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Looking for all of you. We saw the whole duel through that boulder. Max, listen: you can't give up. I know that look on your face; you're hesitant to continue. But you had better draw your next card and keep trying! Why do you think I LIVE, Max? For you! You're the only reason I even feel like living, so you had better not die on me!"

Max looked into his sister's eyes, and nodded. "…Alright." He drew, and shrugged. "You heard my sister; I can't afford to lose. I drew Twilight Zone Trainer, so I draw again, getting Giant Orc. That is the end of my chain. I lay one card facedown, and summon Twilight Zone Trainer. (100/2000) Your turn."

Max: 1200

Morte: 1100

Morte gave Max a disgusted look. "That's the best you have to offer? You are asking for death. I attack with my Gravekeeper Spearman."

"I activate Monster Relief! I return one of my monsters on the field to my hand, and special summon one level four or lower monster in its place. So I special summon Giant Orc. (2200/0)"

"How irritating. I switch both of my monsters to defense, ending my turn."

Max nodded at the card he drew. "I drew Great Demon Gaazetto."

Max: 1200

Morte: 600

"I sacrifice my Giant Orc to summon it! (0/0) Its attack is double the amount of the monster I sacrificed for it. (4400/0) Now it attacks Gravekeeper Spearman. I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Morte struggled a bit, and then pulled his arms out of the cumbersome dirt. "You may think you have won, but I have different plans. Now, you might argue that this card should not be in my deck, but I put it in there for an element of surprise. First, I summon Gravekeeper Gunner. (1900/1700) I sacrifice my Gravekeeper Guard."

Max: 500

Morte: 600

Max managed to barely keep his arms and Duel Disk free of the ground.

"Next, I play Bow of Falling Stars-Shiiru! This equip decreases my monster's attack by 1000… (900/1700) but it also allows me to attack directly. So this is where it ends! Gravekeeper Gunner, attack Max directly!"

Max smirked. "I thought you were smarter than that. I activate my trap card, Standing Against a Formidable Enemy! When you attack, I can activate this card. I choose one of my face up monsters, and you are forced to attack it with all of your face up attack monsters! So your Gravekeeper Gunner is forced to attack my Great Demon Gaazetto, costing you all of your Life Points!"

Max: 500

Morte: 0

Morte began to sink slowly into the ground. "I lost, but does it matter? I have always been in darkness-will Hell be any different?"

The dirt around Max's body ejected him back to the surface in time to see Morte's face. His useless eyes were closed, his face expressionless.

Then he was gone, Jefe and him trapped underground to add to the number of bodies that would lay there forever.

To be continued…


	23. Light and Dark

This chapter will finally develop some characters I have been rejecting for quite some time. Three guesses on who they are. _

***Chapter 23: Light and Dark***

"My name is Brandi. I'm Max's sister. This is my Soul Monster, Mana. Pleased to meet you all."

After checking to see that nobody had been injured by the explosion in the cave, Hope had suggested that Brandi tell the others who she was.

"Why didn't you tell us that you had a sister?" Will asked.

"I can keep a few things to myself," Max muttered.

Hope glanced over at Rue, surprised that he hadn't commented on anything being said. He seemed to be thinking about something else. In fact, nobody else was really talking much. 

"So what do we do next?" Will asked.

Everyone pondered that, except for one individual, who seemed very interested in one of the new acquaintances.

A loud slap echoed through the cave, along with Mana's shout. 

"PERVERT!!!"

Neo gently rubbed the section of his face that was injured, while Will found the situation amusing. 

"Just a suggestion; do not examine a woman's body for too long, or you will be caught."

Neo pulled a depressed looking face, while Hope shook her head. "The first thing we should do is get away from this graveyard. It's awful in here! We can decide what to do after that."

The suggestion was agreed with. They decided to make their way through the path that had not been blocked with a boulder. The trip was made with all speed, and they had soon exited. They walked to the gorge before sitting down. 

"I came to find Max to tell him I had defeated a General of Hell. Her name was Aurora. Max… she was the bank robber's wife."

Max shook his head. "It seems we cannot escape from the past."

"Indeed. I guess we will just tag along now-not like we have anything better to do."

Neo seemed to be happy about this. Gaston covered his eyes in mock despair. "Neo was bad before, but I think this will make him even worse."

Neo glared at him, and they went back to wondering where to go next.   
  


"There is probably nothing else here. How about we go to another area?" Will recommended.

Hope nodded. "We haven't explored the forest yet… how about there?"

"I suppose that will do," Rue agreed. 

*****

After about three hours, they had arrived at the forest. Hope was being carried by Gaston, as she was on the verge of collapsing; they had walked very quickly.

"I'm still not into this kind of thing," Hope complained.

"You'll get used to it eventually," Gaston encouraged.

"Eventually is the key word…" she grumbled.

"It will start to get dark in… oh, maybe an hour or so," Brandi said. "Let's walk for a while, and start to look for an area to stop in thirty to forty minutes."

That settled, they walked on for about ten minutes, until they arrived at a clearing. That was when they saw two people.

"You two again!" Rue exclaimed. 

"I see you remember who we are," Sarius said.

"Who are these guys?" Brandi asked.

Rue glared at them. "Sarius is the older man's name. I don't know what that kid's name is. Then you have their Soul Monsters, Raid and Cyrus. We met briefly before."

"But they left without warning," Hope finished. "Why are you here now?"

"More and more Generals of Hell have been falling…" Sarius stated. "I am here to see your skills. I want to know how good you really are. These lackeys are nothing compared to some challenges you will face. You worry about death? That is something you should not be concerned with. You have much more important things to worry about."

"Why can't you say anything simple?!" Rue yelled. "You only talk in riddles! This is a waste of time. Alright, you want to duel? I'll duel you."

"Wait Rue," Will interrupted. "You're letting your emotions take over your common sense. You'll make some careless error, and lose the duel."

"You don't trust me?"

"Not really-don't you even think about drawing that battle axe-so I will be the one to duel you, Sarius-what did I just say Rue?"

Rue let go of the handle on the axe regretfully, while Sarius eyed them coolly. "I never said I would be the one to duel. While I could, I have dueled a lot recently. Child, you have not dueled for a while. Why don't you duel Will?"

"Hai, Tirran-sama," the Child said. He walked toward Will, preparing his Duel Disk. He put the golden ball he still carried under his arm.

"…Is that kid retarded or something?" Neo asked, confused. "Why did he say hi?"

Will smacked him over the head with the book he was still carrying. "Hai means yes in Japanese, numbskull. Before you ask, sama basically means lord."

Rue was looking on in bewilderment. "An eight year old kid against someone in collage?"

"You would be surprised," Hope commented. "I went to a tournament with my sister once. She won, but second place was a kid that was only seven. He trashed everyone. Don't underestimate because of age."

"A wise statement indeed," Sarius said. "The Child is a duelist you should not doubt." _For looks can be deceiving… they all think he is just a young boy. Young? They don't know just how wrong they are…_

_Child, Child, always Child… why doesn't he address him by name?__ Hope wondered._

"Alright, I accept your challenge!" Will prepared his Duel Disk as well. "Let's get down to business."

Will: 8000

Child: 8000

"So I go first? Fine. I will lay one monster in defense mode, and three cards down. It's your turn."

The Child looked at the card he drew, and summoned it instantly. A knight appeared on the field, with white armor.

"Blade Knight!" Hope realized. (1600/1000) "I use that monster in my deck."

He then lay two other cards down, but Will was ready.

"I'll activate one of my face down cards, Cyclone. I choose to have it destroy the first card you laid. Oh, I'll also activate my Blessing of God trap. I get 500 Life Points whenever I draw."

The face down card revealed itself as a Holy Barrier-Mirror Force before shattering. The Child did not seemed concerned with the loss though.  He pointed at the card on Will's side of the field. The Blade Knight rushed forward and swung his sword, slicing Will's monster in half.

"You destroyed my Saint Magician (300/400). I get one magic card back from my Cemetery thanks to its reverse effect."

"Actually, you don't," Hope said. "When Blade Knight is the only monster on his side of the field, all reverse effects of the monsters he destroys are negated."

Will grimaced. "Just my luck. Alright, I assume it is my turn. I draw, activating Blessing of God."

Will: 8500

Child: 8000

 "I summon Magic Warrior-Breaker. (1900/1000) I remove his counter to destroy your face down card. (1600/1000)"

Breaker slashed the Magic Cylinder to pieces.

"Our monsters would normally be equal now, but I activate my face down card: Black Power Stone. Now I have three magic counters to give my monsters. I transfer one to Breaker. (1900/1000) Now it will attack and destroy your Blade Knight."

Will: 8500

Child: 7700

"Looks like Will is off to a good start," Rue said.

Hope agreed. "That's true, but the duel can turn tide at any moment. What I find nice about this match is we finally don't have to worry about being killed in the end."

"Good point," Gaston muttered.

The Child summoned his next monster, one Brandi knew well.

"Mad Dog of Darkness? (1900/1400) Just what theme is he trying to run?"

Cyrus had remained at the Child's side until now, just watching the match. Now he began to glow, and pointed his sword to the field. Another monster appeared on the spot as the Child's Life Points lowered.

Will: 8500

Child: 7200

"Executioner Makyura… (1600/1200)" Hope murmured. 

"What did you just do?" Will asked. 

The Child just stared at him.

"Not a big talker, is he?" Rue commented.

"My effect allows my master to pay 500 Life Points to special summon a Light or Dark Main-Type monster from his hand," Cyrus explained. 

"It's a miracle! A Soul Monster that can talk!" Gaston joked.

Olympion shifted its eyes toward Gaston. He looked away hurriedly. 

The child then inserted a card into the Duel Disk. It showed itself to them.

"Angel's Gift…" Rue announced.

The Child drew three cards, and then showed Will a Black Core and Dark World Warrior Dark Sword before discarding them to the Cemetery. Then, he played yet another monster. The dragon came up with a roar.

"It looks just like Raid…" Hope noticed.

"It looks like the Child has managed to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon-Messenger of the End. (3000/2500) It's special summon requirements are fulfilled by removing a Light and Dark Main-Type from the Cemetery."

"So that's what the bizarre mix of monsters is about…" Brandi said.

The Child then played the last card in his hand. 

"No! Change of Heart!" Will realized.

Will's Breaker went over to his opponent's field. The Child simply pointed at Will. All of the monster's launched their attacks at Will.

Brandi winced. "Ouch! That one has to hurt."

Hope noticed that Rue didn't seem to mind that Will was being beaten. "Shouldn't you be supporting him?"

Rue shrugged. "It's nice to see him actually get hurt for once. Don't worry, he'll make a comeback. That kid has no cards; one Thunderbolt or Black Hole and it's over."

Will: 100

Child: 7700

Sarius shook his head. "It looks like this duel is over."

Will frowned. "What do you mean? I still have a chance to reclaim this duel as long as I have Life Points."

"But you won't. I think the Child knows what I mean."

The Child nodded, and simply tapped the Chaos Emperor Dragon. On the field, it suddenly swamped the playing area with an explosion. Light and dark energy was everywhere, consuming everything, even the cards on the Child's dueling field.

"What's going on?!" Will shouted over the explosion.

When it finally died down, the field was empty. Will looked at his Life Point counter, and stared at it in shock. "What?!"

Will: 0

Child: 6700

"The Chaos Emperor Dragon has the ability to destroy all cards on the field and in each player's hand by paying 1000 Life Points. For each card destroyed this way, the opponent loses 300 Life Points," Sarius explained. "For all of your talk and actions, you seem like amateurs. Only three turns into the match, and the game is already over?"

"One of my off days, I suppose," Will shrugged. "It appears you are a good duelist; it was nice playing you."

"Arigatou," the Child said before deactivating his Duel Disk and walking back to Sarius' side.

"What does that mean? You suck in French? Because if that's what he said, he's right," Neo joked.

Yet again, he was too slow to avoid being hit over the head by the thick book. "It means thank you in Japanese, you idiot."

Sarius sighed. "I have seen all I need to here. It is time we left."

Suddenly, a man came running into the clearing. He had a black cloak slung over his shoulder, and the fiery orb around his neck. He wore a red, long sleeved shirt, and dark blue pants. In the middle of the shirt was a big N; on the right pant leg was a big S. He wore black tennis shoes. His hair was blonde, and he had blue eyes. 

Following him was a Soul Monster. It was completely metal. Its legs, body, and arms were silver. Its wings were pink, and its head was yellow. It carried a sword. All over its body were small, gold circles that said either N or S. Its eyes were not visible, as its face was covered with a visor.

"You have entered my territory, so now you must die!" the General announced.

Rue just stared at him. "Dude, we've been here for over an hour, and you just realized that we "invaded" the forest?"

The man glared at him. "My security camera and alarm are broken, ok?! I came a little bit later, but it doesn't matter. I'll kill you all!"

Sarius gave the guy a look of forced patience. "We actually have something we must do. Please let us leave this time, and we can duel later."

"No way!" the man shouted. "You'll all die now! Starting with you!" He pointed at Sarius.

Sarius rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll duel. Let's make it quick though."

"My name is Aimant! Who are you?"

"The one who will kick your ass for wasting my time," Sarius stated calmly.

"A wise guy, eh? I'll shut your mouth soon enough!"

Sarius: 8000

Aimant: 8000

"I go first! I summon Magnet Warrior Beta! (1700/1600) Then I lay one card down."

"Fine by me. I lay one card down, and set one monster."

"For all of your boastful words, you seem to be a coward," Aimant taunted.

"I know better than to rush into your traps."

"Whatever. I summon Magnet Warrior Gamma! (1500/1800)"

"That was a mistake. I activate Tidal Wave. All monsters on the field, including my Executioner Makyura (1600/1200) are destroyed."

"Your loss, punk! I won't do anything else!"

Hope raised her eyebrow. "Punk? This guy is really bad at insults."

Sarius' expression did not waver. "I activate Distressing Choice. I pick five cards from my deck. You select one, and I put it into my hand. The rest go to the Cemetery. I have picked Blade Knight, Dark World Warrior Dark Sword, Mad Dog of Darkness, Dunames Valkyria, and Magic Reflector: Reflect Bounder. Make your pick."

"What lame choices! Take the Blade Knight."

"Very well. Now you will lose. First, I summon Magic Warrior-Breaker. (2400/1500) I remove his counter to destroy your card. (2100/1500)"

"You destroyed Attack Nullification… hey, wait! Your monster is too strong! It should be only 1600/1000!"

"Raid gives my Light and Dark Main-Type monsters 500 more attack and defense points, and lowers yours by 500. Too bad you only use Earth monsters… I remove Dark World Warrior Dark Sword and Blade Knight to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon-Messenger of the End! (3500/3000) I also remove Executioner Makyura and Dunames Valkyria to special summon Chaos Soldier-Messenger of Creation! (3500/3000) You have no cards on the field. Face it-you lose."

Aimant grinned. "You forgot my Deck Master, Polarity!"

"What kind of lame names are these?" Mana muttered.

"Shut up! By paying 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Magnet Warrior from my Cemetery, so I special summon Beta! Unfortunately, it must be in attack mode. But I will still live!"

Sarius: 8000

Aimant: 7500

As he did this, electricity began to crackle on his body. He snickered. "I forgot to tell you the conditions of this duel. By losing Life Points, you get shocked!"

Sarius was not phased. "I won't have to worry about that, seeing as you will now lose. Chaos Soldier, attack Beta! Now, attack his Life Points directly!"

"What?! How?!" Aimant screamed in pain as he was sliced with the huge sword.

"If my Chaos Soldier destroys a monster in battle, he can attack again. Now, Chaos Emperor Dragon, crush this pathetic man."

Sarius: 8000

Aimant: 0

Aimant screamed as he and Polarity were shocked with too many volts of lightening to count. Their bodies were too burned to tell who they had been.

Sarius smirked. "And here I thought Generals were supposed to be challenging. Come on Child-let's go."

"Hai, Tirran-sama."

The companions were too stunned to do anything as they watched the four figures vanish.

To be continued…


	24. An Unbeatable Force?

I'm on another writing streak! Sorry that this chapter is short, but I should update again soon!

Whispering Hope: Thanks. Same to you! ^_^

***Chapter 24: An Unbeatable Force?***

Claire had been walking the whole day, trying to reach the canyons where she had seen Rue dueling. She had woken up in the town, and spent a while trying to slip past the officials. After that, she had walked to the canyons.

Her companion resembled a centaur. His body was of a white horse's, but at the location where the horse's neck would be, was the waist and up of a man. He wore blue and gold armor. He had white feathers that covered the horse's sides, arms, and on his waist. His blue helmet ha a red jewel in the middle, and a tiny wing on each side. A gold halo also circled it. In one hand, he carried a shield; in the other, a sword.

Perseus looked around the area doubtfully. "Are you sure he was in the canyons?"

"There is no other area that is like this one."

"True, but even if we find him now, it will probably be too late to save him."

Claire had known this, but had not said it out loud. "Even if that is right, I must see for myself."

They walked on in silence, the only noise being the footsteps of them. Perseus suddenly noticed something ahead.

"Look up ahead. It seems like statues."

The rest of his words were lost as Claire ran forward. She had soon reached the stone figures, and stared at them. Perseus soon caught up, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not Rue or Ruecian, thankfully. Claire, is this the General?"

She nodded. "So Rue won… thank goodness! I was so worried…"

He nodded. "So what now?"

"We still need to find him. I've been thinking… that General somehow managed to connect that duel to our TV. That means they know where we live."

"I see… so you want to tell Rue?"

"That's right."

They spent the remainder of the day walking around the canyons and the mountains, not finding anything. Claire looked around.

"Well, we have a few hours left. There's the forest, and the lake. Let's try the forest first."

They walked into the forest and searched quietly. Yet they found no trace of Rue or his companions.

*****

"Sir, she looks so easy to kill. Why can't this be a death duel?" the man protested.

"I have told you before, and I will tell you again. There are four teens that are interrupting our work. We must dispose of them. That girl is one of the boy's most treasured things-he will do anything to save her, even if it means his own life. So beat the girl, capture her, and then I will give you new directions."

The man grinned wickedly. "Yes sir."

*****

"Oh, it's no use!" Claire cried. "It will be dark before we find him. Maybe we should call it a night…"

Perseus nodded. "That would be wise. Do you know somewhere we can stay?"

"There is a clearing near here. Let's go there."

After a few minutes, they entered the clearing, only to find someone else in it.

The man was concealed with a black cloak, hiding all of his features. The Soul Monster that was beside him was one Claire easily recognized though. With light brown fur, three eyes, green arms and legs, and white claws, it was not difficult for an expert duelist.

"A Critter…" Claire muttered. She raised her voice to talk to the man. "Are you a General of Hell?"

"I am indeed. So you are Claire, the sister of Rue, eh? I was commanded to duel you. When I win, your brother will be the next casualty to the Ritual."

"Say what?!" She growled angrily. "And what gave you the idea I would just lie down and be defeated? I'll win, for Rue's sake!" Perseus nodded in agreement.

"Do not make promises you cannot keep. So, are you ready to duel?"

"You would be a fool to believe otherwise!"

Claire: 8000

???: 8000

"What is your name, anyway?"

"You will know soon enough. Since you were the one challenged, you may go first."

Claire drew her hand quickly, and smiled. "This will be over quickly. I play Sanctuary of the Sky first!"

A grand, white temple rose under their feet. Soon, they were on what appeared to be a temple that was too high up to even see the ground.

"This card negates all battle damage done to any of my Angels. Next, I play Magic Guarder! You will have to destroy my magic counter before you can destroy my Sanctuary. Finally, I will lay one monster in defense mode, and a card face down."

The man simply examined his hand, and shrugged. "A nice hand indeed. I will lay one monster in defense mode, and two cards down. I will also activate Angel's Gift. I draw three cards, and then discard Emissary of Harmony and Quick Squirrel. Your turn."

Claire was pleased by her next card. "I play Stealing Goblin! You lose 500 Life Points, and I gain 500 as well."

Claire: 8500

???: 7500

"I will also flip over my Saint Magician. I get back one magic card, and I choose Stealing Goblin. I will activate it!"

Claire: 9000

???: 7000

"Then I sacrifice my Saint Magician for Agent of Judgment, Saturn! (2400/0) I will also equip my monster with Dagura Blades! This raises his attack by 500! (2900/0) Now Saturn, attack his defense monster!"

"You destroyed my Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200) I get to search my deck for a monster with 1500 defense or lower."

"Now I'll explain Perseus' Deck Master ability! I choose one of my Angel Sub-Types on the field, and he gets a trample effect. Also, whenever he does battle damage, I draw a card. Also, my Dagura's second effect comes into play. When my Angel Sub-Type does battle damage, I gain Life Points equal to the amount you lost! I'll be done there."

Claire: 10700

???: 5300

"I play Jar of Greed, drawing two cards. Then, I lay another monster in defense mode."

_Perfect!_ "I summon Agent of Power, Mars! (0/0) His stats are the difference in our Life Points! (5400/5400) Now, both of my monsters attack!"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, but my face down monster is revealed. It's my Critter. (1000/600)"

"Then it's your turn."  
  


The man smirked. "Good… I switch Critter to attack mode. Attack Saturn!"

"What? Are you that stupid?"

"I need his effect, so I am willing to make a small sacrifice."

Claire: 10700

???: 3400

"You just raised Mars' attack and defense power though! (7300/7300)" 

"I do not care about small matters such as that. I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Claire sighed in relief. "You think your traps will stop me? I activate Harpy's Feather Sweep!"

"I chain my Cry of the Living Dead on Black Forest Witch. She is destroyed though, so I get to search my deck. Oh, and I also chain Emissary of Harmony."

Claire shrugged. "It won't matter next turn. I end."

The man snickered. "Oh, I think it will matter…" He drew his next card. "I have won this duel."

Claire gave him a doubtful look. "There's no way you can. I have too many Life Points, and you have lost too many to come back!"

"You doubt me? Then look for yourself." Then he placed five cards on his monster zone.

Claire gasped at the sight. A huge, towering monster stepped out of a portal. Resembling a man slightly, is had chains wrapped around its limbs. A ball of light began to glow in his hands. He stepped forward and let the light loose, firing it at Claire.

She only had time to whisper one word before she was hit.

"Exodia."

Then she was struck down, unconscious. Perseus, overcome by the pain, vanished into his Soul Card. The temple and the monster vanished as the man walked over to the unconscious form of Claire.

He took out a radio and spoke into it. "Boss, I defeated her. What are your next orders?"

To be continued… 


	25. To Save The One That Means Most

Two in one night! OMG! Miracle!

Another language warning. Yet again, it's only one word, but still.

***Chapter 25: To Save The One That Means Most***

"…and yet again, they leave without warning," Neo muttered. "Really considerate!"

Rue kept fingering his battle axe angrily; apparently, he still didn't like Sarius much. Will was examining the burned bodies, and Hope was trying to understand what had just happened. She looked over at Max, and was surprised at what she saw. His normally expressionless face now appeared slightly worried. 

_I can't believe it… how easily they won! I have rarely lost, but compared to them, I'm a novice! What if there are Generals of Hell compared to that? We wouldn't last ten seconds to anything more powerful then those two… _Max thought in shock.

Hope was still looking at Max when it happened. A light black aura suddenly surrounded him. Olympion seemed to be concentrating deeply as the aura was being pulled toward him.

"What's going on?! Olympion, what are you doing?!"

Everyone else looked in Max's direction as the aura began to vanish. The last remains of the black aura vanished into Olympion. Max shook his head a few times, as if to clear it.

"Thanks Olympion…"

Hope looked at Max worriedly. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

He sighed in a tired way. "It's hard to explain, but I will try. Whenever my feelings get too out of bounds-such as anger, hatred, or depression-Olympion 'feeds' on my emotions. It keeps me from going insane. This is also why Olympion is often violent and angry."

"I see…" Will murmured. 

Max shrugged. "I might as well explain everything. When I went to registration, and stuck my hand into the box to get my Soul Card-you know what I mean, right?-I felt one card that was freezing. It was chilling… but it brought me a feeling of safety. As if all of the pain I was feeling would vanish if I chose it… so I did. Olympion has helped me ever since then."

"Amazing…" Hope said. "Wait… you felt a card that chilled you? That's the opposite of what happened to me. The one I found was warm to the touch."

"I experienced what Hope did," Rue stated. "I thought I was imagining things."

"I believed I wasn't the only one, but I never talked about it," Will commented.

"As did I," Brandi agreed. 

Rue looked behind Brandi. "Why is your Soul Monster hiding behind you?"

Brandi glanced at Mana. "Oh, she's just scared of Demons, including Olympion. They freak her out."

Mana nodded quickly before shifting her position as far away from Olympion as possible.

Will broke the silence. "Enough of this kind of talk. Let's get some rest. We will need to continue on tomorrow."

_And next time, I'll duel Sarius. And I will win. _Another side effect of Olympion was making Max more confident, or so it seemed.

After Max made a fire, they began to fall asleep, one by one. Will stayed up though. He decided that he might as well make sure they weren't attacked while asleep. Besides, he hadn't had time lately to read Loamhedge.

*****

The Critter came running in, and made a hasty report on what it saw. The General nodded to himself.

_Alright, this will be simple enough. We can get ahead of them, and cut them off tomorrow morning. When Rue is defeated in a match, not only will he die, but so will his friends. This girl's heart will be broken, her spirit failing. A much more worthy sacrifice for Him. And the boys will be filled with hatred toward me… all for the better!_

*****

_A man wearing a black cloak was sneering at Claire's body on the floor. She tried to get up, and cried in pain as the man struck her down again. The knife he held dripped with blood._

_Rue wanted to help. He wanted to stop the man. He had to. He ran toward him, yelling in anger. The man turned around, and struck him in the leg with a knife. He fell down, screaming as pain coursed through him, blinding him, as he still tried to get up, to stop the man, even if he died doing so…_

"Someone put out that fire already!"

Rue regained consciousness at the shout. His leg was a mass of pain. He gasped in shock as cold water hit his burning-hot leg. 

"Are you ok?" Hope was looking at him worriedly. 

He moaned and tried to sit up, only to realize he was being held down. Ruecian was holding onto his shoulders, stopping him from moving. 

"You can let go of me… I'm ok…" He attempted to stand, only to nearly fall from the pain in his leg. Ruecian grabbed him again, stopping him.

"What… happened?" 

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep. You seemed angry at something. I was going to wake you up, but you rolled right into the fire!" Will explained. 

Brandi reached into her pocket and brought out a Red Potion. "Use this to heal the skin. Unfortunately, I have nothing to cure the pain."

Rue drank it quickly, and grimaced at his pant leg. "I need some new cloths. I'm still wearing the shirt that got burned as well."

"Well, try to forget the pain for now Rue," Hope urged. "We need some rest."

Rue shook his head. "I'll be the sentry for the rest of the night-I can't fall asleep like this."

Ruecian sat beside him and nodded.

Will shrugged. "All right." Then he slammed Rue over the head with his book.

Rue yelped. "Hey! What was that for?"

"That's for making me lose my place when you rolled into the fire." He grabbed his bookmark and skimmed through the pages.

After a short amount of time, everyone but Rue and Ruecian were asleep. Rue looked up, through the foliage, into the stars.

_That dream… I'm worried… Claire… are you really safe?_

*****

In the morning, they were ready to continue on. Rue had some trouble walking, so Ruecian carried him, much to his disgust.

"I can walk you know!"

Will disagreed. "You only fell down about ten times trying to walk. If you could walk, believe me, I would have you walk. I'm the one who has to carry your oversized battle axe!"

Rue snickered. "I guess there's at least one advantage to this situation."

At around midday, Rue finally felt fit to walk. He used his battle axe as a crude walking stick, which slowed down their progress somewhat. Hope wasn't about to complain though-she liked the pace.

"At long last, I can actually keep up with you guys!" she joked.

"Indeed," Gaston said. "It saves my back from having to carry you. Rue, be sure to jump into the fire more often, ok?"

"Shut up," Rue grumbled. 

It was in the afternoon when they reached another small clearing. A river ran through it. It was a pretty area with a few flowers scattered about.

"How neat!" Hope said. "Why don't we stop here for a few minutes?"

They did so, not knowing that their next opponent was setting up while they were resting.

They did not do much besides relax. Neo couldn't help but stare at Mana again, which got him yet another painful slap. After he got over the pain, they began to walk on, following the river. Rue was actually able to walk now, as long as Ruecian carried the battle axe.

"Does the Red Potion make pain go away quicker? Because that's what it seems to be doing for me," Rue commented.

"All the better for us," Max replied. "We haven't found anything yet, so we need to pick up the pace."

They walked on for a few short minutes, when Gaston suddenly reached for his sword.

"Someone's ahead."

Will immediately recognized the black cloak. "There's our opponent."

They ran over the distance quickly. The General turned toward them, surveying them. 

"So, you are the ones that I must defeat? I don't see any problem here… you all look weak enough. Although I didn't know that there were five people. Oh well, all the better."

"Who are you?" Brandi asked.

"All in good time. Rue, you will be my first opponent."

Rue looked at him, confused. "What? Why do you want to duel me?"

"I don't care, but I know you will want to duel me first. Just look!"

They followed him into yet another small clearing. The General stepped into the clearing and up to a tree. 

"Do you understand now?"

Rue was speechless.

Tied to the tree was Claire. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was gagged. Although she seemed alive enough, she was covered with many burn marks. If not bound, she probably would have collapsed.

Ruecian's hand flew to his sword instantly. Rue grabbed his battle axe with a roar of anger.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

"Please, calm yourself down," the General sneered. "You cannot do anything to help her if you decapitate me first. To save your sister's life, you will have to defeat me in a duel. And, of course, to save your own."

The Critter ran up to him, making a noise that could only be described as laughing.

Rue snarled. "I'll duel and win, but I hope you didn't set a death condition for this duel. I'll hack your body to bits myself!"

Ruecian felt his sword edge with his hand, which probably meant he agreed with Rue.

"Actually, there is no condition for death. I requested that the only extra rule in the duel would be that the loser died one way or another."

Rue's face was a terrible thing to behold at that moment. "I'll enjoy it."

_Rue's so angry that he will probably make stupid moves…_ Hope thought. _If only he could think clearly!_

"What the heck is going on?" Max demanded. "Rue has a sister?"

"That's right," Hope said. "I remember that he told me about it…"

**FLASHBACK**

_"Do you have any siblings?" Hope inquired._

_Rue looked uncomfortable. "Yes. I have a sister named Claire, who is the same age as me."_

**END FLASHBACK**

"He never told me any more though…" Hope concluded. "I didn't ask why."

"Ah, that's right. He mentioned it before, too," Will recalled.

**FLASHBACK**

_"You will never understand my motives! You have never had a sister killed! I can assure you though, you never will either! I won't be able to get to her before killing you…"_

_"NEVER!"__ Rue yelled. "YOU WILL NEVER GET TO HER! I WON'T LET YOU!"_

**END FLASHBACK**

"It's obvious Rue cares for her a lot…" Hope stated.

"Don't make understatements," Will chastised. "Rue doesn't like killing much, remember? And now he wants to rip this guy limb to limb… he would too. It's like the Bloodwrath has possessed him or something."

"What is Bloodwrath?" Neo asked. "Some other imaginary thing you read up?"

"It's a term in Redwall. Ok, you want it put simply? He's overtaken with fury. He will keep fighting, or dueling in this case, until he dies, or worse."

Hope shuddered. "He'll never win like this!"

"Are you finished talking?" the General asked. "I would like to get to dueling now. By the way, my name is Segreto. My Soul Monster, Critter, can also be called Traiga."

"Just shut up and get ready to duel," Rue spat.

Rue: 8000

Segreto: 8000

"You can go first, so I can attack first!" Rue yelled.

_Rue doesn't know what he is facing… _Claire thought. _He won't know until it is too late… if only I could warn him!_

"It will be my pleasure. I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card down. Your turn."

"I summon Gemini Elf! (1900/900) Attack his defense monster!"

"You have attacked my Aztec Statue. (300/2000) Any battle damage that is done to you when this monster is attacked is doubled."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 8000

"I lay one card down. Make your move." Although Hope was sure she was imagining it because of what Will said, she could almost see Rue's eyes turning red.

"Alright then. I will set another monster, and another card."

Rue slammed his next monster onto the Duel Disk. "Skilled Black Magician! (1900/1700) Attack his defense monster!"

"You attacked my Penguin Soldier. (750/500) His reverse effect allows me to return up to two monsters on the field to their owner's hand, so I return both of yours."

"I lay a card down, and end!"

"Rue! Please stop acting so violently!" Hope begged. "You will lose the duel if you don't think out your moves! You're attacking without thought, and that won't result in a win! Just think calmly, and carefully!"

"You expect me to be calm after the person that is most important to me has her life on the line?!" Rue yelled. 

"If you lose, then she will lose her life! And you can only win by calming yourself!" Hope insisted.

Rue gritted his teeth, and looked at Claire for a few minutes. "Fine. Don't expect me to be merciful to this bastard though."

"If you are merciful to me, you will lose. I summon Critter. (1000/600) Attack your Life Points!"

"I activate Torture Wheel!"

"It seems you at least can do something useful. One card down, and it's your turn."

"I draw, and you lose Life Points because of Torture Wheel."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 7500

"I summon Skilled Black Magician. I also play Sealing Swords of Light. Your turn."

"I activate Black Hole."

"Ruecian can now use his effect! By discarding my Black Magician to the Cemetery, I negate Black Hole!"

"Very well. I activate Angel's Gift, and discard Reserves and Air Guard Gear Golem. Your turn."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 7000

"I use Raise Dead on Black Magician! (2500/2100) Attack the Aztec Statue! Then Skilled Black Magician attacks Critter."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 6100

"I search my deck and place a card into my hand. Now, I activate Traiga's effect. By paying 1000 Life Points, I get a monster with 1500 attack or less from the Cemetery and put it into my hand. So I get back Critter. I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 5100

"I summon Gemini Elf again! Now, Skilled Black Magician attacks!"

"You attacked my Quick Squirrel. (1000/100) I get two more special summoned to my field."

"Gemini Elf and Black Magician destroy them!"

"I also get 1000 Life Points for each one."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 8100

"I lay two cards down. Your turn."

"Well, I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. Your turn."

"I activate Cyclone!"

"I chain with Emissary of Harmony."

"Then I'm done."

"I set another monster, and lay another face down card. Your turn."

"I play Thunderbolt! All of your monsters are destroyed!"

"You destroyed Critter and Black Forest Witch. Thank you very much."

Rue shook his head. "I just realized what you are trying to do. You run an Exodia deck, don't you?"

"You figured that out far too late! With three pieces in my hand, you will not find winning easy!"

"We will see about that! I sacrifice my Skilled Black Magician to special summon a Black Magician from my deck! Now all of my monsters attack you directly!"

"I activate Gravity Bind! Now all of your monsters cannot attack!"

_No! All of my high attackers are level four or over…_ "I end…"

"Each time I use Traiga's effect, I must pay 1000 more Life Points than before. So I pay 2000 Life Points to get Critter again."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 6100

"I summon Critter, and attack your Gemini Elf. I end my turn."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 5200

_No! Next turn, he will just pull the same trick off again! I have to draw a card that will stop his Critter… and I have to draw it NOW!_

Rue looked at the card he had drawn, and sighed with relief. "I lay one card down, and end my turn."

"I pay 3000 Life Points to get Critter again."

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 2200

"Now I summon it. Attack Gemini Elf!"

"I activate Magic Cylinder! Your attack is negated!"

Rue: 7800

Segreto: 1200

"It doesn't matter boy. I lay one card down, and end my turn." _With my Imperial Decree and Bottomless Pit Trap, there is absolutely no way this boy can win!_

Rue stared at his deck. _It's all up to what I draw now. I don't know what can help now… _He looked at Claire. _But I have to draw it NOW!_

He drew slowly, and brought it up to his face. He stared at it.

_What IS this card? I never put this in my deck! How…? Wait!_

**FLASHBACK**

_"Wait!" Claire shouted. Rue stopped and looked at her as she ran up. "Take this card. It will help you," Claire assured him. "When you see it, think of me."_

_Rue smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't worry. I won't forget. Thanks for the card." Without looking at it, he stuck it into his Duel Disk. "I'll be sure to examine it later. Oh, and one other thing. I don't care about what really happened; in my heart, you are, and will always be my sister." With that, he and Ruecian left._

**END FLASHBACK**

"Claire… thank you," he said, smiling.

Claire looked up with hopeful eyes.

"I summon Injection Angel Lily! (400/1500)"

Segreto looked at it, and began to laugh. "HAHAHA! That's the best you have? You have certainly lost."

"I guess you didn't know about Lily's special ability. By paying 2000 Life Points, I can raise her attack by 3000 points! (3400/1500) And since she is only level three, she can attack even with your Gravity Bind!"

"What?! No! It can't be!" Segreto screamed.

"Claire said this card would help me… and she was right. Lily! Attack and destroy that vermin! And I activate her ability to win me the game! Seeing as damage comes before your Critter's effect, I've won."

Rue: 5800

Segreto: 0

Rue picked up his battle axe with a smirk. "I'm going to… enjoy this."

Segreto fled, Traiga hard on his heels. Rue ran after them. Hope was amazed at the sight; although he was still wounded in the leg and was carrying the huge axe, he was just as fast as the General.

Ruecian was more concerned for Claire. He severed the ropes with a quick swing of his sword. Hope ran forward and caught her, undoing the gag.

"Are you alright?"

Claire coughed a few times before talking hoarsely. "Rue… he…"

"It'll be ok," Hope assured, although she was not confident in that statement.

*****

Segreto kept running, hearing his pursuer get closer with each step. He looked behind him to see how close Rue was, still gasping for breath. 

It was the last mistake he would ever make. Not looking where he was going, he tripped over a producing tree root. Falling on Traiga, both were trapped. 

He turned around, screaming. "No, please, forgive me! Mercy! I won't ever duel anyone again! I'll never harm or kill! I swear! Please, don't kill me!"

Rue stepped up to him, pulling up the battle axe. His eyes had been closed, and now he opened them. Segreto moaned at the sight of them; they were completely red.

"Mercy? Forgiving? Many have probably asked you that before, but you ignored them, didn't you? You won't escape now. And do not think your death will be quick. Long and slowly, I will take pleasure with each cut I inflict on you…"

_His voice… what's wrong with his voice?! _"No… don't… AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" 

His hand was flung across the clearing, severed from his arm. He didn't know what was worse as the axe swung down again; the pain or the laughing teen who swung it…

*****

"He won't really kill them, will he?" Gaston asked, worried.

"I don't know Gaston… he was so mad… and wanted to kill…"

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Hope shuddered. "That sounds like the General…"

Will shook his head grimly. "Let's get out of here. Rue can find us later, and we need to help Claire. I don't want to stay here and listen to this mans last screams."

To be continued…


	26. A Lot Of Information

Originally, I was going to have a duel in this chapter. But it dragged on, so I will cut it short. Don't worry, there will be a duel next chapter!

***Chapter 26: A ****Lot**** Of Information***

"I'm worried," Hope confessed. "Rue is still gone, and anyone can guess why… he's still killing that man."

They had gone to the river to try and help Claire. Although the Red Potion Max had given her healed her skin, she was still in pain. So they decided to stay there for the night to assist her, while waiting for Rue. Besides the distant screams though, there was no sign of the teen.

"Maybe I should go get him?" Hope suggested.

Will shook his head. "Bad idea. I don't think anyone here will want to see what condition that General is in."

Gaston shuddered. "Good point."

Ruecian had not done anything up to this point. He suddenly got up and ran off though.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Neo asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He's going to get Rue," Will said. 

"Oh… I knew that."

"Sure you did…"

*****

Segreto's head had long been severed from his body. Yet Rue kept hacking apart his and his Soul Monster's bodies. It was some time when Rue finally finished with one last, neat cut to chop apart his skull. 

Rue surveyed his work, laughing to himself. Body parts, fur, and blood were everywhere. The sickening scent of death filled the area, yet Rue savored it. His axe blade was completely covered with blood, as was Rue himself.

He licked some of the blood from his battle axe blade, a look of content on his face. "It's been too long since I last had the opportunity to do this. I forgot how good human blood tasted." He snickered as he approached some of the General's hacked-apart limbs. "As I recall, their flesh tasted even better." He reached a blood-soaked glove out to take one of the limbs.

Distracted, he did not hear the approaching figure until it was too late. A wave of black magic hit him from the behind. All he had time for was one snarl of rage before he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Ruecian walked up to him and picked him up. Slinging Rue over his shoulder, he looked at the area. Shaking his head in disgust, he ran off, leaving the remains of their two enemies.

*****

Max had decided to be the sentry for tonight, so he was the first to spot Ruecian.

"It looks like Ruecian is back. What took you so long…" Max's voice trailed off at the sight of Rue. "What the hell happened to him?"

Besides Olympion, everyone gasped in shock at Rue's appearance. His cloths were completely soaked in blood, his axe was dyed red, and his skin and hair had fared little better than the cloths. 

"What happened to him?!" Hope exclaimed. "Is he hurt?"

Ruecian shook his head as he placed Rue down next to the small fire Brandi had made.

"Then that means… oh God, that is the General's blood?"

Ruecian nodded. 

"What did he do?" Hope whispered.

"I don't think we want to know," Gaston shuddered. "How did Rue fall unconscious?"

Ruecian waved his hand at one of the trees nearby them. Black magic emerged from his palm and hit the tree, sending it crashing down.

"Well, that explains," Neo muttered.

Hope picked up Rue's battle axe, wincing at the sticky blood on the handle. "I'm going to wash this. It's a good thing we are near a river. Ruecian, can you take care of Rue?"

Claire was leaning against a tree so she would not fall over, as she was still weak. "Rue's… never acted… like this… why…?"

Brandi sighed. "I wish we knew."

Hope stuck the axe completely into the river, and soon brought it out. She repeated the process two more times before wiping it clean with a towel she had brought along. She set the axe next to Rue's Duel Disk; he had torn it off his wrist before running after the General, so she had brought it along.

Ruecian took Rue over to the river, and dunked him under the water. In a few seconds, Rue submerged with a yell of surprise.

"Whoa! What's going on? It's cold!"

Ruecian hauled him out of the river. Still shivering from the freezing water, he examined his gloves, and groaned at what he saw.

"I wasn't dreaming… I killed him… hacked him to pieces… enjoyed it… even when he was begging for mercy… I actually had fun killing him!" He covered his face, sobbing. "What possessed me? Why did I do it? Oh God, I've become a monster!"

Claire sat up. "Rue… you aren't a monster. You did… it for me… and to stop him from killing others…"

Rue got up and walked over to her, kneeling next to her. He embraced her, trying to stop crying. "I could have just severed his head… or made it quick… easy… I tortured him… wanted to drink his blood… and eat his flesh… what have I become?" 

Regardless of his bloody cloths, Claire hugged him back. "It'll be ok… it'll be ok…"

Hope indicated to the river. "Let's leave them alone for a while."

Ruecian remained with Rue and Claire, but everyone else made their way to the river. 

Will shook his head. "I have never seen anything like it."

Neo shuddered. "Rue's a cannibal? OUCH!"

Will shook his book at him, glaring. "Not by choice! I don't know what happened to Rue, but that could not have been him back there! Something happened that we do not know about."

"Do you think it will be safe to be with him?" Mana asked. She was acting unusually serious.

"Although I can't be sure, I think it is," Gaston said. "He became like this because his sister was in danger. We are Rue's friends, and I doubt he would hurt us because of it."

"Right," Hope agreed. "I think the best thing to do would be to leave them alone for now, and get some rest. We can decide what to do in the morning."

Max and Olympion stayed awake, keeping watch, as everyone else slept. The night was uneventful though.

*****

The main group met in the morning. Rue's eyes were somewhat red from all of the tears and lack of sleep he had, but besides that, he seemed alright, if not quiet.

"Rue, what you have done will not cause a rift in our group. We don't know why you did it, but we do know you would not have if you had the option not to. That's good enough for us." Hope had decided to be the spokesperson.

"…Alright… thanks…" Rue said softly. _Still, I cannot forgive myself._

"Do you feel better Claire?" Brandi asked.

"Yes, thanks."

Will asked one of the things everyone was wondering. "Why did you come to Teknisk Wereld?"

Claire explained about what had happened to her in the time that she had been here. She also introduced everyone to Perseus. He had recovered from the blast as well.

"That sounds really bad," Hope commented. "If they know where we live, then they could kill us in the real world while we are here!"

"We don't know that they know," Will pointed out. "They know where Rue and Claire live, and probably you too Hope. However, it seems that they do not know where my house is, or Max and Brandi's. So as long as we are in located in one of those, we are safe."

"So what should we do now?" Claire asked.

"We should go to the lake. Brandi may have already found a General there, but we haven't ever been on the other side of it. So let's go there," Will suggested.

"Sounds good to me…" Hope said.

"Hold it right there!"

"An ambush?" Neo wondered as about twenty officials jumped into the clearing.

"So you are the kids we are after!" one exclaimed. 

"Hold on! That girl has the British on her side!" another one warned.

"They still believe that? My faith in humanity has dropped below the negatives," Hope commented.

"Mine was already way beyond that point," Max assured.

"Don't be such a nitwit, Trey!" the first one shouted. "I heard about that little incident, and it was just a ruse to get away!"

"Maybe they aren't completely brainless," Mana pondered.

"They're too close to that point for comfort," Brandi stated.

A man walked forward and muttered, "I'll take care of this." He then announced, "You are all under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Please come with us quietly, and we will not be forced to take dramatic actions."

"Here's a better idea; we all log out," Max suggested.

"I agree with him," Brandi declared. "So we'll see you idiots later!"

"Stop them!" the man shouted. All of the officials rushed forward.

One of them tried to seize Brandi, only to get kicked in the stomach, punched in the eye, and then have his nose broken. Tossing aside the unconscious man, Brandi laid another one down with a blow to the head, and yet another by kicking him in a very sensitive spot for males.

Another official actually managed to grab Will's arm. The official shouted in pain and let go though. Will pulled out the kunai that had been imbedded in the man's arm and hastily pressed the exit button on his Duel Disk. He teleported out, Neo following.

Claire and Perseus managed to teleport out as well while Rue kept the officials at bay, swinging his huge axe in front of them. After she left, Ruecian sent out a wave of black magic. Most of the officials managed to duck; the ones that didn't were sent flying. By the time they got back up, Rue and Ruecian were gone.

Hope was at the back when they ran forward. Only one managed to make it to her. She knocked him out with her bow before teleporting out with Gaston.

Max grabbed Brandi's arm and pulled her into the river. The officials, surprised at the move, hesitated for a minute. That's all they needed. In less than five seconds, they were gone.

The remaining officials stared at the river. 

"Well, that sucked," one commented.

One punch later, and he wished he had kept his mouth shut.

*****

Hope undid the Envoyant Machine hastily, and sat up. Rue and Will were already up.

"Why isn't Max back yet? Did he get captured?" Hope asked worriedly.

"As if," Max said, pulling off his own Envoyant Machine. "I just took a little bit of extra time."

Will looked at the carpet where Max and Rue had lied. "Argh! The floor is soaked with water and blood! I demand you pay for this!"

Rue looked at his bloody cloths. "I'm going to have to pay a lot of bills at the end of this."

Max was wringing out his cape. "I had to jump in the river to escape."

"I noticed," Will said dryly. "Well, we are all here in one piece. It looks like my kunai trap worked perfectly." 

"First order of business is to eat," Hope suggested. "I'm starving!"

"I need to contact Claire," Rue announced. "Where's your phone?"

"Downstairs, in the kitchen. Why do you want to talk to her?"

"I want her to come to South Carolina as well. Do you mind?"

Will shrugged. "I guess not."

"Thanks." He ran off to make the call.

"Let's all go downstairs; I'll prepare something for us to eat." He glared at Neo. "And you aren't to even enter the kitchen!"

Neo, looking offended, retreated into his Soul Card along with the rest of the Soul Monsters.

Rue was talking on the phone when they got downstairs. "Yeah, I would feel better if you are here. Oh, could you also bring me some new cloths? Thanks, that would be great. See you soon." He hung up. "Claire will be here by tonight."

"Sounds like a plan," Will replied. 

*****

It was about eight when Claire arrived. Rue was delighted to finally be able to get into some new cloths.

Not much happened after that. Gaston and Neo had a few sword duels outside, and Rue dueled Will for fun again. A tie was declared when Hope dropped a book she had been holding next to the field. While it didn't land on their cards, it scattered them all over the room. After Rue threatened to kill her a few times, they retired to their beds.

*****

Hope had thought the toaster blowing up had been loud, until she heard the explosion that woke her up. The whole house quaked for a few seconds, and then stopped. 

Will threw the covers off of himself, and ran out of the room. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"What's going on?!" Claire asked, sitting up quickly.

"It's just Neo," Rue reassured. "That bonehead probably decided to try and cook something again."

They all ran downstairs after Will, and found him staring at what had once been his kitchen. The whole thing was blacked, and there was not much left to tell what it was. 

Rue decided to break the silence. "I hope you have insurance."

"Believe me, I do," Will replied. Then he held Neo's Soul Card up to his face. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME IN THERE! YOU SPINELESS COWARD! YOU COMPLETELY DESTROYED MY KITCHEN! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BLOW UP MY OVEN?! YOU STUPID, IDIOTIC, DRATTED, BRAINLESS, DIMWITTED…"

The others left Will to his ranting and went to Will's room again, trying not to laugh. After getting over it, they realized something else.

"We can't stay here now," Hope pointed out. "Where can we go?"

Max shrugged. "I suppose we could go to my house. The Generals don't know where it is yet."

"Thanks for volunteering," Will said, coming into the room. "It will take a while for the kitchen to be fixed… thanks to a certain someone who thought the oven was needed to make soup!"

*****

They all managed to catch a taxi, and soon arrived at Max's house. Max walked up and knocked. Brandi and Mana answered quickly.

"Hi Max!" Brandi stared at everyone outside. "Ok, did you arrange a cub scout meeting here or something?"

"I resent that!" Hope protested.

"Neo blew up Will's kitchen, so we are staying here." Max said it in such an emotionless tone that Mana couldn't help but break down laughing.

"Don't worry Will; Mana does it ALL the time," Brandi assured. "She blew up my blender more times than one."

"Finally, someone knows how I feel," Will commented.

It was decided that they would spend the day resting so that when they got to Teknisk Wereld, they would be fully energized. Also, the officials would probably slacken their security by then, it was assumed.

They told Claire and Brandi about the other Generals to pass some of the time in the kitchen. Hope was going through her backpack, trying to discard stuff she didn't need anymore. That's when she found something she had forgotten about.

"Hey guys, I completely forgot to show you this! It's Zenith's diary!"

Rue choked on the apple he was eating. After Will hit him on the back a few times, he was able to swallow. After coughing a few times, he managed to say, "His DIARY? What in the blue hell?"

"Remember when he kidnapped me? Well, I woke up in his house, and found it. I didn't have time to look at it, so I'll show you now. I feel kind of guilty reading it, but we need any information we can get."

Hope began to read it out loud.

_January 1, 2100___

_I am now an official General of Hell. At last, my master has agreed to help me. He will find the man who killed my parents, and I will slay him. I cannot wait. At long last, I will be able to have my revenge. It has been thirty years, but I can remember it like yesterday. He will find dying to be long and slow, and will be begging for me to end it…_

_January 2, 2100___

_The location had been given to me. I cannot write it down in case this is confiscated, but it doesn't matter. I'll probably never forget the address. I will not be able to write for quite some time, as I will be gone to slaughter this man._

_February 4, 2100___

_It took over a month, but now it is over. The man is dead. It was probably the best day in my life when I killed him. I was fortunate that he had great endurance-I was able to keep him alive for five whole hours before he died of blood loss. As fun as it was, I must get to work. My master has said that we will be attempting to take Teknisk Wereld in May. I do not know what he plans, but he needs some things done, so I will do them._

Hope flipped through the pages. "There's nothing of interest until… April 29."

_April 29, 2100___

_We will be starting to take over Teknisk Wereld on May first. For some reason though, my master is nervous. Apparently, a girl has signed up and entered Teknisk Wereld for the first time today. I do not understand why he cares-it is just a girl, right? What can she possibly do? I have also heard she has no experience in Duel Monsters. So why is my master worried?_

"That's the day I first entered!" Hope exclaimed. "Is he talking about me?"

"Maybe," Rue said. "Keep reading, don't leave us hanging!"

_April 30, 2100___

_I have my newest assignment. It is to kidnap that girl, and then duel her in Teknisk Wereld. She is just an amateur-I will win for sure. I do not know why my master thinks she is threatening, but I will rid him of his fears. _

"That's his last entry," Hope stated, shutting the book. "I dueled him on May first. And that is when he was killed."

"So the big boss is afraid of you, Hope? Why?" Rue wondered.

Will shrugged. "There isn't much to go on from the diary, unfortunately. Still, it's a start. Let's sleep on it; we will need to get up early tomorrow."

Brandi got up. "Claire and Hope, you can sleep in my room with me and Mana. Can the rest be in your room Max?"

"I have enough room, yes."

*****

The girls were changing into their nightgowns. Hope noticed something when Brandi had taken off her shirt. There were bruises, too many to count.

"Brandi! What happened to you?"

She fingered the area. "I got in a fight. I was outnumbered, as there were forty guys. I managed to take thirty-five before the remaining five got me. Luckily, Max came in time to help me."

"Wow… you took thirty-five all by yourself?" Hope gasped. "That's incredible!"

"It's no big deal," Brandi said modestly. "I learned to fight for Max."

"For Max? What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Max… when he was young… he wasn't like he is today. He tried to commit suicide at least twice a day. The only reason he is still alive is because of me. I stopped him from killing himself. I stuck up for him when he was threatened by gangs of meaner, older, and tougher boys. I dropped out of school to help him. I was too young to go to jail, and my foster parents always bailed me out of juvenile jail."

"That's awful! I'm sorry you had to go through that," Hope said softly. 

"It's the past now, thankfully," Brandi concluded. "Max can take care of himself now."

Claire was looking at Brandi's swollen ankles. "Were those from fights too?"

"I broke my ankles several times from kick-boxing, and in fights. Now let's get to sleep."

Hope could tell that she did not want sympathy, so she kept her comments to herself as they turned off the lights and fell asleep.

*****

"I don't understand. Why do the girls want a room to themselves?" Gaston asked. "How can I protect Hope if I have to be in here?"

Will shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"You could use some lessons from Neo," Rue suggested. "He knows why."

"If he wasn't staying in his card from being a coward, I would ask," Gaston said.

"At this rate, you will probably never get a girlfriend," Perseus joked. 

Rue covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud at the bewildered look on Gaston's face. "Let's get to sleep. Gaston, Hope will probably not be attacked, so try to relax."

Gaston still looked uneasy, but fell asleep quickly anyway. One by one, all of the boys were soon fast asleep.

*****

_There were two children, and their mother was watching them. They were in a park. They ran around excitedly, laughing and playing, knowing nothing but innocence. Suddenly, five men approached them. They all carried rifles. They began to shoot the three happy figures. They all fell in a shower of blood. The shooting stopped as soon as all of them were dead. Then, someone stepped forward. A silhouette of a man, behind the shooters, was watching. He began to laugh, a cold laugh that could freeze the toughest man's soul…_

Max woke up, gasping. He was covered with a chilling sweat, but it wasn't even half as cold as the laughter of the man.

Rue woke up. He sleepily rubbed his eyes, and suddenly sat up. "Max? What's wrong?"

Olympion was once again pulling a dark aura toward him. After it was gone, Max fell asleep immediately.

_Poor Max… that must exhaust him,_ Rue thought before falling asleep himself.

To be continued…


	27. Free Duels

Being sick really sucks. I couldn't fall asleep, so I stayed up until 5:30 AM working on this. You'd all better appreciate it. _ _

John: I'm glad you liked it. Here's the thing: Claire doesn't use Card Destruction. Your comment could be used in various spots in the fic. Like, Will could have won against the Child if he had Tidal Wave. Did he? No. Kind of get my point? _

***Chapter 27: Free Duels***

As usual, Neo was the first one up. He had remerged from his Soul Card after resting, and slipped out of the room quietly, making sure he did not wake up the others. He did not know the house well, and he was well aware of what Will's reaction would be if he destroyed another kitchen, so he decided that he had better relax in a room other than that one. He could recall where the family room was, so he walked there, and was surprised to see someone else already there.

"Oh, it's you. Good morning!" Mana greeted him cheerfully. 

"Same to you," Neo replied. "Why are you up so early?"

"I usually get up to make breakfast, but I just recently destroyed Brandi's newest blender. She's still mad at me, so I decided to steer clear of the kitchen for some time."

"Sounds a lot like what I usually do. Every time I attempt to cook, for some reason, the device I am using blows up. It's quite annoying."

"I agree! Have you ever made any edible food?"

"I'm afraid not."

"The few times I managed to actually produce food, it was actually good, or so Brandi claimed. She ate all of it anyway." Mana shrugged. "I recently got some tapes I've wanted to watch. That's what I am going to do now. Care to see them?"

"I have nothing better to do… sure, why not?"

*****

Will wasn't sure he was actually awake. He got up slowly, looking at the clock in Max's room. He immediately jumped up.  
"Nine in the morning?! We overslept!"

Rue got up, yawning. "Good morning to you too…"

"How did we oversleep?" Gaston asked.

"My usual alarm clock is Neo blowing up something, but all was quiet today… that's what worries me." 

"Then let's check on him," Rue suggested. 

Max got up as well, looking very tired. "Are the others up yet?"

_Of course… his emotions were out of control again… _"I don't know, let's see," Rue replied.

They walked across the hall, and encountered a closed door.

Will smirked. "Hey Rue, want to go in and tell them to get up?"

"Very funny," Rue grumbled as he knocked on the door. "Come on you four! We can't sleep all day!"

"We'll be right there!" Hope called back. "I don't know what you mean by four though; Mana woke up early."

"Oh great," Will groaned. "If those two are together, Brandi won't have a kitchen sooner than later. Neo's gone as well," he told the three girls, who stepped out of the room fully dressed. 

"This isn't good…" Brandi muttered. "Let's go look for them."

They walked down the hall, and soon found them watching TV. 

Will stared at the screen for about three seconds before he got an awful suspicion.

"Neo… what are you watching?"

Neo turned around to view them. "Hi Will. Just a show called Home Improvement."

"TO HELL YOU ARE!" Will yelled as he ran up to the TV and turned off the VCR. He ejected the tape and looked at how much they watched. "You watched almost all of it?"

"We also watched the three right next to you," Mana pointed out.

"…I'm doomed," Will stated. He dropped the tape he was holding. "Max, do you have any books on how to keep your Soul Monster out of your kitchen?"

"…No."

"Yep, I'm doomed."

*****

Keeping to simple meals, Brandi made them some bagels, and poured everyone a glass of orange juice. She watched Max out of the corner of her eye the whole time, seeing how tired he was. Olympion seemed bad tempered; he snarled when Gaston walked a little too close for his likings.

_It looks like he had a nightmare again… poor Max. _Brandi forgot her musing as Will made the plans of the day.

"Well, now I want to stay in Teknisk Wereld as long as possible, seeing as Neo will absolutely destroy the next kitchen he finds." Ignoring the look of protest on Neo's face, he continued. "So let's get back to Teknisk Wereld and try to find more Generals. Now we know that something bigger than what we see on the outside is going on; Zenith's diary told us this much. We need to try and find this master of his as soon as we can. So Claire and Brandi, will you come with us?"

"There's no way you are keeping me here," Brandi declared.

"I'm defiantly coming!" Claire assured.

"Then let's get our Envoyant Machines," Rue suggested. "We have no time to waste."

They all went into their rooms, and attached the Envoyant Machines. Soon, they were all unconscious, their minds in the virtual world.

*****

"It looks like we are back in the town," Neo said as they all woke up.

"Thanks for telling us, Captain Obvious," Will responded. "Are there any officials nearby?"

"I don't see any…" Hope said. "We can't let our guard down though."

"Don't worry, they aren't here. They had to go after some criminal or another."

Everyone spun around to see three newcomers. One was a girl with brown, shoulder length hair. She had blue eyes, and wore a light green shirt. She wore blue jeans as well. Around her neck was a small, silver clasp that held a tiny, beautiful pearl. The monster that floated beside her looked like a cross between a bird and a woman. She had wings that ended in clawed hands, and her feet were that of a bird's. Her hair was red, her legs purple, and her skin and wings were blue. Her top half had something blue on it, although Hope was not sure it was a shirt. 

The boy that stood next to her had light-brown skin. He wore a casual orange t-shirt and blue jeans. His eyes were brown, and his short hair was black. His Soul Monster was a man, but he wore a blue cloak that concealed most of his features. On each of his arms was a gold bracelet.

There was another boy as well. Like the first boy, he had light-brown skin. He had black hair, and brown eyes. He also wore glasses. He wore a blue t-shirt, and blue jeans too. His Soul Monster looked like a tiny dog. It had light-brown fur and light-blue claws. It had a small, dark-blue horn coming from the top of its head, and sharp-looking light-blue teeth. On its forehead, below the horn, was a dark-blue jewel. It also wore a dark-purple scarf, and an earring in each ear. They were purple hoops with a diamond on the end.

"Julia! Samuel! Toan!" Hope cried. "Hi! What are you all doing here? The government banned Teknisk Wereld until further notice!"

"I could ask the same thing of you!" Julia replied. "We came here out of curiosity, and boredom. It was either this or get dragged to see The Matrix: Reloaded by Samuel for the fifth time!"

"Come on Julia!" Samuel was apparently the boy with the orange t-shirt. "We've only seen it three times!"

"I would have liked to seen Lord of the Rings: Return of the King more…"

"The tickets were already sold out, as I told you!"

"Which is why we came here."

"You're so mean!"

Toan cut through their bickering. "What are you doing here Hope? And who are your friends?"

She pointed to each person and Soul Monster as she named them. "Rue, Ruecian, Max, Olympion, Will, Neo, Brandi, Mana, Claire, Perseus, and Gaston, meet my friends from school: Julia and her Harpy Lady, Maria, Samuel and his Weapon Summoner, Carl, and Toan and his Milus Radiant, Cow."

"…Cow? What kind of a nickname is that?" Will asked.

"A good one, considering I love cows." Toan then changed the subject. "You never told us what you are doing here."

"Yeah, and why have you been gone from school? We have been worried!" Julia said.

"Well, I went to South Carolina to visit a sick friend of mine. He's doing ok now though, so I decided to come to Teknisk Wereld with a few friends," Hope explained.

"Well, those officials won't be coming back any time soon," Julia assured. "Hope, we've never dueled each other with Duel Disks before. How about we do that now?"

Hope shrugged. "I could use some practice. No stakes?"

"None."

"Then let's begin!"

Hope: 8000

Julia: 8000

"You can go first," Julia invited.

"Gladly. I lay one monster in defense mode, and two cards down. Your turn."

"I'm going to use Maria's Deck Master ability right now. By skipping my Draw Phase, I can search my deck for a card with the name "Harpy" in it and add it to my hand. So I add Harpy's Feather Sweep to my hand and use it to destroy both of your face down cards!"

"I activate Imperial Decree to save this other trap I have."

"Ok. I summon Harpy Lady (1300/1400) and attack your monster."

"You attacked Twilight Zone Female Warrior. (1500/1600) I could have her remove your Harpy from the game, along with herself, but I don't think I will."

Hope: 8000

Julia: 7700

"I lay two cards down before ending my turn."

"I won't pay for Imperial Decree. I switch my Twilight Zone Female Warrior to attack, and attack your Harpy Lady!"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, making your attack harmless."

"Then I'm done."

"I will draw this turn. Now I activate Ten-Thousand Reflections! When I have a Harpy Lady on the field, I can special summon either another Harpy Lady or Harpy Lady Triplets from my hand or deck. I will search my deck and special summon Harpy Lady Triplets! (1950/2100) I switch Harpy Lady to defense mode, and attack with my Harpy Lady Triplets!"

"I activate my Twilight Zone Female Warrior's effect. Both monsters are removed."

"Alright, I'm done."

Hope: 7550

Julia: 7700

"I summon Blindly Loyal Goblin! (1800/1500)"

"I will activate Tidal Wave, destroying all of the monsters on the field."

"I guess I am done." Hope was slightly concerned; she had nothing to guard against a direct attack.

"I will search my deck for Harpy's Pet Dragon and put it into my hand. Now I play Angel's Gift. I draw three cards, and then discard Harpy's Pet Dragon and Harpy Lady Triplets. Now I play Raise Dead on Harpy's Pet Dragon! (2000/2500) I attack you directly!"

Hope: 5550

Julia: 7700

"Hey Hope, you're getting owned!" Rue joked. "You had better put some more effort into this duel!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Hope yelled back as she looked at her hand. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card down."

"I will search my deck for Harpy Lady SB. Now I summon it to the field. (1800/1300) She counts as a Harpy Lady card. Also, my Harpy's Pet Dragon gets 300 more attack points for each Harpy Lady on the field. (2300/2500) I attack your defense monster with Harpy's Pet Dragon!"

"You attacked my Retrained Elven Swordsman! (1400/1200) Any monster that has 1900 or more attack cannot destroy him in battle!"

"It looks like Hope is putting my card to use," Max remarked.

"In that case, I will destroy it with my Harpy Lady SB!"

"I activate the trap card Curse of Darkness to snare your Harpy. She loses 700 attack points, and cannot attack. (1100/1300)"

"I lay one card down then…"

"I activate Cyclone on it."

"My Holy Barrier-Mirror Force was destroyed."

"Good. I lay one card down, and summon Command Knight! (1200/1900) When he is on the field, all of my Warrior Sub-Type monsters get 400 more attack points. (1800/1200) (1600/1900) I will switch my Retrained Elven Swordsman to attack and have it attack your Harpy Lady SB! I will also pay 1000 Life Points to use Gaston's ability. Now my Command Knight can attack you directly!"

Hope: 4550

Julia: 5400

"Pretty even match," Brandi commented. 

"I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card down. Then I attack your Command Knight with Harpy's Pet Dragon! (2000/2500)"

"You can't attack Command Knight as long as I have another monster on the field."

"Oh. In that case, attack Retrained Elven Swordsman. Your turn."

Hope: 4350

Julia: 5400

"I equip Retrained Elven Swordsman with The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade! This raises his attack points by 800. (2600/1200) I attack your Harpy's Pet Dragon with him. Then Command Knight attacks your defense monster."

"You attacked my Bird Face. (1600/1600) They are evenly matched. His reverse effect also lets me add a Harpy Lady from my deck to my hand, so I'll get one."

Hope: 4350

Julia: 4600

"I will lay one card down, and then end."

"I summon my Harpy Lady. Next I play Cyber Bondage on her. This raises her attack by 500. (1800/1400) I then activate Power of Magicians, raising her stats by 500 for each magic or trap I have. Since I have three, she gets a 1500 bonus. (3300/2900) She attacks Retrained Elven Swordsman!"

"I activate Reactive Armor! When you declare an attack, and I activate this card, your attacking monster is destroyed. So your Harpy Lady is gone."

"I'm done with my turn."

"I will attack your Bird Face with Retrained Elven Swordsman."

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, to live another turn…"

"Your move then."

"It looks like Hope has this in the bag," Neo commented.

"So it seems," Perseus agreed.

"Not if I can help it," Julia stated. "I activate Black Hole, destroying all of our monsters. Then I lay one monster in defense mode."

Hope drew, and nodded.

"I activate my face down Cry of the Living Dead to bring back my Retrained Elven Swordsman. Then, I sacrifice him to summon Undefeated General-Freed! (2300/1700) He attacks your defense monster!"

"That was my last Harpy Lady."

"Your move."

"I lay another monster in defense mode."

"In that case, I will use Freed's ability. I search my deck for a Warrior Sub-Type at the cost of skipping my draw phase. I get Initiate Troops, and summon them! (1000/1000) I sacrifice them to kill your face down monster."

"There goes my Harpy's Brother. (1800/600)"

"Freed attacks you directly." 

Hope: 4350

Julia: 2300

Julia drew, and looked at her new card. "I play Theft on Freed! This equip magic card lets me take one of your monsters as my own!"

"Want to rethink that?" Hope asked. "Freed can't be targeted by magic cards."

"Rats… I end…"

"Freed attacks for the win!"

Hope: 4350

Julia: 0

"Good game," Julia smiled. "I didn't know you were so good."

"Thanks. It was a good game," Hope agreed.

"Are any of you as good as her?" Samuel asked. "I could use a duel myself."

"I'm up for one," Will volunteered. 

"Great! Let's get ready."

To be continued….


	28. Attack and Defend

Another filler duel. Try and enjoy. _

***Chapter 28: Attack and Defend***

Will: 8000

Samuel: 8000

"If you don't mind, I will go first," Will announced. "I lay two cards down, and a monster in defense mode. Your turn."

"Hm…" Samuel was examining his hand. "I will lay one monster in defense, and one card down."

"My turn now… I summon Magic Warrior: Breaker, and remove his counter to destroy your face down card. (1600/1000)"

 "Darn… that was my Cry of the Living Dead."

"I attack your defense monster with Breaker!"

"You attacked my Soul Tiger. (0/2100)"

"A tiger? Totally awesome," Will said.

"What are you talking about Will?" Hope asked.

Neo answered for him. "Will is absolutely obsessed with tigers. I think it will break his heart to kill it."

Will was close to smacking Neo again. "Of course I will destroy it! It's just a hologram."

Will: 7500

Samuel: 8000

"For my turn, I will use Carl's effect. By skipping my draw phase, I search my deck, get a card that has the word Guardian in its name and add it to my hand. Now I equip my Soul Tiger with Rod of Silence-Keesuto. That raises his attack by 500. (500/2100) Now that her weapon is on the field, I can summon Guardian Keesuto! (1000/1800) Then I lay one card down." 

"A Guardian deck? Why play that? They usually don't turn out well," Rue commented. 

"I'm fascinated with history," Samuel explained. "I don't know, they just seem to be my style."

"I summon Turner of the Dead: Kaiku! (1800/700) I pay 500 Life Points to activate Neo's Deck Master ability. Breaker can now attack your magic or trap."

"That's a pretty nasty effect. You hit my Imperial Decree. Does it go to the Cemetery?"

"No, if it's a trap, it is shuffled into your deck. Now Kaiku attacks Guardian Keesuto!"

Kaiku rushed forward, but was stopped by a barrier of water.

"You cannot attack Guardian Keesuto, and magic cards do not effect her."

"Hm… in that case, I lay another card down."

Will: 7000

Samuel: 8000

"I lay one monster in defense mode, and switch Guardian Keesuto to defense before I end my turn."

"I also set a monster," Will decided. 

"I skip my draw phase to search for Guardian Toraisu. Now I flip summon my Air Gear Guard Golem. (800/2200) I have to discard a card in my hand to activate this card, so I discard Attack Nullification. This lowers my monster's attack by 500, and allows it to attack twice. (300/2200) Now I sacrifice Soul Tiger to summon Guardian Toraisu! (1900/1700) He will attack your Kaiku!"

Will stared at him. "You… killed… a… tiger… YOU. DIE. NOW. Activate Magic-Arm Shield! I select one monster on your side of the field as your target of attack, and I choose Air Gear Guard Golem!"

"At least I am not the one who loses Life Points."

Will: 5400

Samuel: 8000

"So it is still 'just a hologram' Will?" Neo joked.

Will glared at him murderously. "Quiet."

Neo shut up. 

"Thank you. Now, I will activate Trial by Fire! I sacrifice my Breaker on the field and my face down Holy Elf (800/2000) to special summon The Legendary Flame Lord! (2400/2000)"

"That's a pretty weak monster, considering how many cards you used to get it out."

"Keep thinking that, why don't you? I will attack Guardian Toraisu with my Flame Lord!"

Will: 5400

Samuel: 7500

"When Guardian Toraisu goes to the Cemetery, I am allowed to resurrect the card I sacrificed to summon him. So now my Soul Tiger is back, in defense mode of course. (0/2100)"

Will seemed calmer now that his favorite animal was back on the field. "It's your turn."

"I play Jar of Greed." He drew two cards. "I am starting to wonder if I didn't shuffle; this has got to be the luckiest draw ever. I equip my Soul Tiger with Axe of Gravity-Guraaru. This card raises his attack by 500. (500/2100) Also, while this card is out, none of your monsters can change their battle positions. Now I special summon Guardian Guraara! (2500/1000) Although he is level five, I can special summon him from my hand without sacrificing if he is the only card in my hand. Now Guardian Guraara attacks your Flame Lord!"

Will: 5300

Samuel: 7500

"And I cannot switch Kaiku to defense mode because of your Axe of Gravity… in that case, I pass…"

"Guardian Guraara attacks Kaiku!"

Will: 4600

Samuel: 7500

Will looked at the card he drew and sighed in relief. "I play Raise Dead, to revive my Legendary Flame Lord! (2400/2000)"

"He won't be able to destroy Guardian Guraara."

"Maybe not in an attack, but there are other ways! First I play Clarity of Mind! I search my deck for another Clarity of Mind and put it in my hand. This also gives my Flame Lord a magic counter."

Samuel frowned. "A magic counter?"

"You'll see soon enough. Next I activate Sealing Swords of Light, for another magic counter. Finally, I play Cyclone on my own Sealing Swords of Light. That makes it so my Flame Lord has three magic counters. Now he can use his ability! By removing all three magic counters, he destroys all monsters on the field besides himself!"

"No! My monsters were the only things protecting me!"

"Exactly. Even better is the fact that the other monster I had face down was my Black Forest Witch. My Flame Lord also destroys my monsters, so her effect activates. Now I can search my deck for a monster with a defense of 1500 or less and put it in my hand." Will gave the field a sad look. "I'm sorry I had to destroy Soul Tiger though…" Samuel facefaulted. "Now, my Legendary Flame Lord attacks you directly!"

Will: 4600

Samuel: 5100

Samuel drew slowly, and grinned. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

_If that monster has a reverse effect, he will probably just activate it next turn. I might as well attack it…_ "I attack your monster with my Flame Lord!"

"You attacked my Big Shield Guarder! (100/2600) When attacked, he is switched to attack mode. But since you have no other monsters, I'm not very worried about that."

Will: 4400

Samuel: 5100

"I activate Thunderbolt, and then switch my Big Shield Guarder to defense mode. That's all."

"… I lay one monster in defense mode."

"I skip my draw phase to search my deck for Guardian Eruma. I equip my Big Shield Guarder with Dagger of Butterflies-Eruma. That raises his attack by 300. (400/2600) Now I can summon Guardian Eruma from my hand. (1300/1200) When I summon her, I can equip her with one equip magic that is in my Cemetery, so I equip her with Rod of Silence-Keesuto! (1800/1200) She will attack your monster."

"You destroyed my Tenacious Old Magician. (450/600) When flipped, I am allowed to destroy one of your monsters, so I destroy your Big Shield Guarder."

"Ok. Whenever my Dagger of Butterflies-Eruma goes to the Cemetery from the field, I put it back into my hand, so I get it back now. I equip it to Eruma as well. (2100/1200) Your turn."

Will grimaced; because he had equipped Eruma, this would require a little more strategy.

"I summon Magician's Valkyria. (1600/1800) I pay 500 Life Points to have my Valkyria attack your Rod of Silence!" 

Will: 3900

Samuel: 5100

"So our monsters are now equal… (1600/1200) I pass."

_A monster would be great about now… _Unfortunately, the one he drew wouldn't help at the minute. _Well, it will be useful soon enough… _"I lay one monster down and switch my Valkyria to defense mode."

"I lay one card down and end. On your turn, I activate Emissary of Harmony."

"So you found a way to get around Neo's ability… I pass."

Samuel seemed happy by what he drew next. "I equip Eruma with Great Sword of Violation-Baou. I have to discard a card to activate it, so I discard Attack Nullification. This raises Eruma's attack by 500. (2100/1200) Also, if she destroys a monster with an effect, that effect is negated. She attacks your Valkyria. Your turn."

_And we are back to where we started…_ "I play a monster in defense mode."

"Will, before you end… when are you going to activate your two face down cards?" Neo asked. 

"Oh, those. I suppose now is as good of a time as any for this one. I activate my trap, Hidden Tomes. I take two magic cards from my Cemetery and shuffle them into my deck. Now I end my turn."

"I play Sealing Swords of Light. This flips over your two monsters."

"I have Royal Magic Library, (0/2000) and Chaos Curser. (500/500) His reverse effect lets me remove one monster from one of our Cemeteries, so I remove Guardian Guraara."

"I attack your Royal Magic Library with Eruma."

"I lay one monster in defense and end my turn."

"I skip my draw phase to search for Guardian Baou, and then summon him! (800/400) He attacks your new defense monster!"

"You destroyed my Pixie Knight. (1300/200) Her ability allows me to get one magic card back from my Cemetery. However, you are the one who picks which one I get. So which should I get? Cyclone, Clarity of Mind, or Trial by Fire?"

"Actually, any monster that is destroyed by Baou has its effect negated. By the way, whenever Baou destroys a monster, his attack raises by 1000. (1800/400) Now Eruma attacks your Chaos Curser. Then I'm done."

"I play Angel's Gift, draw three, and discard Black Power Stone and Clarity of Mind. Now I play one card down, and a monster in defense."

"This is the last turn my Swords are up," Samuel announced. "I play Time Capsule! I choose one card in my deck, and remove it from the game. On my second standby phase, I add the card I removed to my hand. Now Baou attacks your new monster!"

"You attacked another Royal Magic Library. (0/2000)"

Samuel shook his head. "Geez! How many do you have in your deck?"

"Three."

"That's what I was afraid of… Eruma destroys your Library, and then I end my turn."

Will: 3900

Samuel: 4900

"How long is this going to drag on?" Rue complained.

"A little while longer," Gaston answered.

"Gee, thanks for stating the obvious."

"You asked."

Will gritted his teeth in annoyance. _If those Swords weren't on the field… "I lay one monster in defense."_

"My Swords are gone. Now I lay one card down, and attack your defense monster with Baou!"

"You ran into my Holy Elf. (800/2000)"

"Argh! Quit playing high defense monsters! Eruma destroys your Holy Elf, and then I end. On your turn, I flip over another Emissary of Harmony."

Will: 3900

Samuel: 4700

_Ok, draw something good, draw something good… excellent._ "I play Change of Heart to take control of Eruma! Then I sacrifice her to summon Magical Marionette! (2000/1000) Then I end my turn."

"Did you forget that I got back my Dagger of Butterflies when Eruma was destroyed?"

"No, I didn't. I'm not concerned though."

"If you say so… I skip my draw phase to search for Guardian Shiiru. Now I get the card I had in my Time Capsule. I equip Baou with Bow of Falling Stars-Shiiru! This lowers his attack by 800, but allows him to attack directly. (800/400) Now I summon Guardian Shiiru, and equip him with my Dagger of Butterflies. By putting one of the equip cards that he has into the Cemetery, I can destroy one of your monsters. So I destroy Magical Marionette! My Dagger of Butterflies won't come back though, as it wasn't destroyed. Now I attack your Life Points with Shiiru, and switch Baou to defense mode."

Will: 2200

Samuel: 4700

"It keeps going on and on and on and on and on and on…" Rue grumbled.

"Don't worry, I'm about to end it," Will assured. "I just drew the card that I wanted. That card is my Raise Dead!"

"Wait!" Samuel protested. "You can only have one Raise Dead in a deck! And you already used one on your Flame Lord!"

"While that is true, I also used Hidden Tomes to bring it back to my deck. So I resurrect my Flame Lord with Raise Dead! (2400/2000) He attacks Guardian Shiiru!"

Will: 2200

Samuel: 4000

"I lay one card down, and end my turn…"

"I summon Magic Swordsman: Neo. By paying 500 Life Points, he attacks your card."

"You hit my Magic Cylinder..." 

"Flame Lord destroys Guardian Baou."

Will: 1700

Samuel: 4000

Samuel looked at his next card and groaned. "All I can do is lay a monster in defense mode…"

"I attack it with Flame Lord."

"My Aztec Statue is destroyed. (400/2000)"

"Neo attacks you directly."

Will: 1700

Samuel: 2300

"I lay a card face down…"

"I pay 500 for Neo to attack it."

"You destroyed my Cyclone…"

"Flame Lord attacks you for the win!"

Will: 1200

Samuel: 0

"It's over! THANK GOD!" Rue rejoiced.

"Two stall and attack decks can take a while," Brandi pointed out. "But in the end, Will won, so who cares?"

"Good duel," Samuel said, grinning awkwardly.

"Same to you," Will said.

"Samuel! You should spend more time practicing on dueling instead of dragging me to the movies!" Julia joked.

"Julia! That's so mean!"

"It's for your own good!"

"Yes mistress…" Samuel muttered.

To be continued… 


	29. Sheep!

This chapter is yet another filler. *Sees a chair come flying and ducks* Sorry! Don't worry, it's a short chapter!

***Chapter 29: Sheep!***

Rue stretched sore muscles. "Ugh! I got a leg cramp from being in that position so long!"

Will shrugged. "Sorry, but my duels always seem to take awhile."

Samuel grinned mischievously. "Mine do too. So, want a rematch?"

He covered his ears swiftly as everyone besides Ruecian and Olympion yelled, "HELL NO!" Olympion said it telepathically, and Ruecian shook his head wildly.

Julia frowned. "I thought I heard a voice in my head… am I going crazy?"

"That's just Olympion's manner of talking," Max explained. 

"Interesting," she said. "I haven't met one like him before. Hey Toan, you haven't dueled. Why don't you?"

Toan was eager to. "Of course I will duel! Right Cow? Are you ready?"

Cow growled. Toan patted him. "Don't mind him. He acts all tough, but he's really cute and sweet and calm and… OW!" He yelped in pain as Cow bit him. "You little cur!" He ran after Cow, trying to hit him with a baseball bat he had somehow gotten.

"Don't worry," Julia said. "This always happens with him and Cow. He must have the most vicious Soul Monster in existence. He lets me pet him, but any men that try to get chomped on!" 

Everyone besides Samuel just stared at her blankly.

"A dog that is a pervert?" Claire inferred.

"More like he's sexist," Hope said dryly. 

Toan came back holding Cow under his arm. The Milus Radiant kept struggling to be free from his firm grip.

"Now that that's settled…" Toan looked at his bleeding hand. "Rats." He used a Red Potion, and the skin on his hand healed. "Ok, now I'm ready to duel. Who wants to duel? How about you Max?" 

Max shook his head. "I would prefer not to. Rue, why not you?"

Rue looked worried though. "I can't risk it. What if… what if I…"

Claire put her hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you have to worry about… that… happening again. Last time, there were stakes, but this is just a friendly duel."

"What are you talking about?" Samuel asked.

"Oh, Rue sometimes accidentally kills who he beats in duels… HE'S NOT A PSYCHO!" Hope hurriedly tried to cover her mistake at the sight of her three friend's stunned faces. "HIS FATHER… er… RAISED HIM THAT WAY! YEAH! HE WAS A CHILD ABUSER!"

Rue slapped a hand over his eyes. "I'm never going to live through this…"

The trio gave Rue wary looks, until Hope said, "It's not his fault! He's just afraid he might get out of control when he wins and try to cut you to pieces with his battle axe! It was all his father's doing!"

"I didn't even KNOW my real father," Rue hissed.

"They don't have to know that, do they?" Hope whispered back.

"Either way, you are going to be lucky to be alive after this," he threatened.

Hope backed away slowly. "Well, excuse me…"

Toan seemed a little bit hesitant to duel Rue now, but got his Duel Disk ready anyway. "I don't really understand, but then again, I don't get a lot of things."

Rue finally gave in. "Oh all right, but only one duel."

"Sounds good to me," Toan agreed. He put Cow down and patted him on the head. "What do you think? Sounds good, right fluffy? OW! DAMN IT!" He quickly pulled out his Red Potion card again.

"This is one reason why I am very glad you are my Soul Monster Ruecian," Rue murmured.

Ruecian nodded gravely.

Rue: 8000

Toan: 8000

"So… who goes first?" Toan asked.

"I will, if it's all the same to you. I summon Gemini Elf. (1900/900) Your turn."

Toan surveyed his hand hastily. "Excellent. I lay two cards face down, and lay one monster in defense mode."

"Hm… I will attack your set with Gemini Elf."

"When you attack, I activate Scape Goat. This instant magic gives me four goat tokens. Their Main-Type is Earth, their Sub-Type is Animal, and they would normally have the stats 0/0. However, Cow's ability gives all of my Earth monster 500 more attack points, and subtracts 400 of their defense points. (500/0) (500/0) (500/0) (500/0) You attacked my Saint Magician. (300/400) I get a magic card back from the Cemetery thanks to her effect, so I get back Scape Goat."

Rue gave the four cute and cuddly goats a disgusted look. "It figures… since there are no cow cards, you decided to go with sheep?"

"I call this my Sheep Attack Deck! You would be surprised on how many duelists have fallen before it," Toan said, striking a cheesy pose. The moment was ruined when Cow chomped on his leg. "ARGH! DRATTED CUR!" Once again, he gulped down a Red Potion.

"For once, I'm glad Cow did that," Julia commented.

"Are you kidding? I love it when that blundering fool is bitten," Samuel joked. 

Toan threw Cow at Samuel, who proceeded to latch himself onto Samuel's arm gleefully. "ACK! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Samuel then began to run around like a headless chicken, while Julia collapsed laughing. Neo and Mana were also having trouble breathing.

Rue was about to lose his patience. "Can we please get on with the duel? I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn." 

"Alright… I play the field magic card Gaia Power. All Earth monsters get 500 more attack, and lose 400 defense. (1000/0) (1000/0) (1000/0) (1000/0) Then I summon Milus Radiant! (300/250) While not as darling as Cow… OW! RED POTION! Now, as I was saying, he does give all Earth monsters 500 more attack. (1800/250) (1500/0) (1500/0) (1500/0) (1500/0) Now I equip my Milus Radiant with Power of Teamwork! This raises his attack by 800 for every monster on the field!"

"Whoa! I can't let you get away with that! I activate Ruecian's Deck Master ability! By discarding Skilled Black Magician from my hand, your magic card is negated and destroyed!"

Alright then… plan two. I play Black Hole, and then a card face down. Your turn."

"Your Black Hole also destroyed my Tenacious Old Magician." Rue looked at his hand, and grinned. "I play Harpy's Feather Sweep."

"I chain with Scape Goat. (500/0) (500/0) (500/0) (500/0) You also destroyed my Gravity Bind."

Rue thought for a minute. "Are they in defense mode?"

"Of course."

Rue smiled. "I've won then."

"What?"

"I play Black Magic Curtain! By paying half of my Life Points, I special summon a Black Magician from my deck! (2500/2100)"

Rue: 4000

Toan: 8000

"That seems like a waste."

"Just watch. I play Diffusion Wave Motion! At the cost of 1000 Life Points, I select a level seven or higher Magic User. That monster can attack all of my opponent's monsters."

Rue: 3000

Toan: 8000

"And your point is?"

"I have one final card to equip! My Big Bang Shot! This increases my Black Magician's attack by 400, and gives him a trample effect! (2900/2100) Attack all of the Scape Goats, starting with the red one!"

The Black Magician destroyed the red, blue, pink, and orange adorable sheep in one swing of his staff.

Rue: 3000

Toan: 0

"Ah… uh… er… wow," was all Sameul managed to say.

"Unreal," Hope whispered.

"WHY DO PEOPLE ALWAYS KILL THE RED ONE FIRST?!" Toan howled. He picked up Cow and hugged him. "Oh well. We lost our most embarrassing defeat, but it was still a good duel, wasn't it?"

Cow growled in his throat.

Toan grinned. "I knew you would agree! OW! I'M BLEEDING AND DYING! RED POTION! GAH! YOU CUR!" He began running after Cow with the baseball bat again.

"…Right…" Rue said. "Ok…"

"So will your friend kill Toan now?" Julia inquired.

"No way! Rue's in a good mood today!" Hope exclaimed, with a very charming smile.

Rue picked up his battle axe. "Or am I?"

"Aw, don't scare them off Rue!" Hope laughed as she watched Samuel back away. 

To be continued…


	30. The Sisters Face Off!

No witty comment this time, sorry. _

***Chapter 30: The Sisters Face Off!***

After Rue put up his battle axe, and Toan finally caught Cow again, they began to talk again.

"It's too bad Josh and Lauren aren't here…" Julia said. "I know Max doesn't want to duel, but I would have liked to see Claire and Brandi duel someone."

"Actually… they could duel each other…" Hope suggested. "How about it? I've never seen either of you duel!"

"Come to think of it, neither have I," Will agreed.

"I'd like to!" Claire agreed. "Well Brandi? Up for it?"

Brandi shrugged. "I guess."

"Wipe the floor with her Claire!" Rue encouraged.

"Have a nice duel," Max said before sitting down, leaning against a demolished building.

"Aren't you going to cheer your sister on?" Hope asked.

"She'll do fine, and Neo has caused my lack of sleep. Wake me up when they are done."

Hope shook her head doubtfully, but left it at that.

Brandi: 8000

Claire: 8000

"How about you go first?" Claire asked.

"Alright. I set one monster, and lay a card down."

Claire looked at her hand briefly. "I will lay one card down… and summon this!"

The monster seemed more like a purple cloak than anything. However, it had a metal head, and metal shoulders.

"What is that?" Brandi asked.

Will surprised them all by answering. "Zolga. An Earth Main-Type, Angel Sub-Type. Its stats are 1700/1200. Its effect is used in a sacrifice summon, then you gain 2000 Life Points."

Everyone stared at him. 

"That's impressive Will!" Claire exclaimed. "How did you know that? Do you use one?"

"I love Angel Sub-Type monsters. I would have run an Angel deck, but Neo helps Magic Users more, so I changed. So I just happen to know a lot about Angels."

"That's cool!"

Brandi interrupted the chat. "This is all very nice, but can we please continue the duel?"

"You spoilsport," Claire teased. "Alright, Zolga attacks your defense monster."

"You attacked my Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200)"

"This is where Perseus' Deck Master ability comes into play. Each battle phase, one of my Angel Sub-Type monsters gains the trample ability. Also, if that monster does damage to your Life Points, I draw a card."

Brandi: 7500

Claire: 8000

Brandi seemed to be waiting for something. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and that's all."

"I sacrifice my Zolga to summon Heavenly Knight Perseus! (1900/1400) This triggers Zolga's ability."

Brandi: 7500

Claire: 10000

"Perseus attacks your defense monster."

"You destroyed Critter. (1000/600)"

Brandi: 6200

Claire: 10000

Hope was slightly concerned. "Brandi isn't even putting up a fight! What's going on?"

"Be patient," Will replied. "She's planning something… I can tell it."

"Since when am I patient?" Rue pointed out. "If I wasn't trying to encourage my sister, I would probably do what Max is doing."

They looked over to see Max sound asleep against the building. Olympion was beside him, apparently bored. 

"He must be exhausted," Hope commented.

"Don't let him hear you say that," Gaston joked.

"Why?" Julia asked.

"Max has a tough guy act up," Rue explained.

"An act? What do you mean, an act?" Neo inquired.

"Well… I can't argue with that," Rue decided.

"OWWWWWWWWW! STUPID CUR!" Toan ran by, chasing after Cow with his baseball bat. His arm was bleeding yet again.

"Randomness is good," Mana said.

"So you say…" Brandi muttered. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card face down. Your turn."

Claire looked at her hand. "This is perfect. First, I play Terra Forming. I search my deck and put Sanctuary of the Sky in my hand. Then I play it!"

"What does that do?" Neo asked.

"It's a field magic. If an Angel Sub-Type monster is destroyed in battle, the controller doesn't take battle damage," Will responded.

"Next, I summon Warrior of Zera! (1600/1600)"

"Why would she play Warrior of Zera? That isn't an Angel Sub-Type," Hope wondered.

Will shrugged. "It is used to special summon another Angel Sub-Type. Just watch, you should see soon enough."

"My next step is to sacrifice Warrior of Zera to special summon Archangel Zeraato! (2800/2300) This monster can only be special summoned by sacrificing Warrior of Zera when Sanctuary of the Sky is out, so that's what Will meant."

"What's so special about your monster?" Brandi asked.

"Want to tell them Will?"

He was only too happy to. "If Claire has a Sanctuary of the Sky on the field, she can discard a Light Main-Type from her hand to destroy all of Brandi's monsters."

"So that means I can discard Saint Magician to destroy your monster."

"You destroyed my Sphere Bomb… (1400/1400)"

"I also play Magic Guarder on Sanctuary of the Sky. Now you have to destroy the magic counter on my card before you can destroy the card itself. I attack you directly with both of my monsters!"

"I activate Curse of Darkness on Archangel Zeraato to halt his attack. (2100/2300)"

"Perseus still hits your Life Points."

Brandi: 4300

Claire: 10000

"I also get to draw a card for that. Now I'm done."

Brandi drew, and smiled. "It looks like I can finally fight back."

"You're at a huge disadvantage," Claire warned. "What makes you think you can come back so suddenly?"

"I don't think; I know. First, I summon Turner of the Dead: Kaiku to the field. (1800/700) And then I play Shrink! This card can cut any face up monster's attack in half until the end of my turn."

"Oh, I see… so, which monster do you choose? Perseus or Zeraato?"

"Neither. I'm using it on Kaiku. (900/700)"

"Have you lost your mind?" Claire asked in disbelief. 

"I know full-well what I am doing."

Hope chanced a glance back at Max. Even though she was positive he was sleeping, he had a smirk on his face that hadn't been there before.

_That can't be good,_ she thought.

"Now I activate my face down card, the Deck Destruction Virus of Death!" Brandi announced.

"Huh? What?" Claire asked. "What does that do?"

Kaiku had faded away to leave only purple spores. They flew toward all of Claire's monsters, and attached themselves to Perseus and Zeraato. Both of them faded away as well.

"What's going on?!" Claire demanded.

"I can only activate my trap when I sacrifice a Dark Main-Type monster with 1000 attack or less. When I do, all your monsters on the field and in your hand that have an attack of 1500 or more are destroyed. Then for your next three turns, you must show me what card you draw. If any of them are monsters with over 1500 attack, they are destroyed."

Claire looked at her hand, and grimaced. "I have to discard Mudora and Kelbek…" 

"Wow," Hope murmured. "That's pretty powerful."

"So that's why she used Shrink…" Rue realized.

"It's a good combo, but I can still fight back," Claire declared.

"I think you will have a hard time doing that," Brandi disagreed. "I play Raise Dead on Kaiku, and attack you directly! His ability allows me to remove two monsters from your Cemetery, so remove Perseus and Zeraato."

Brandi: 4300

Claire: 8200

"Finally, I play Tempest. This destroys all of your magic and traps. It would destroy mine too, but I have none out."

"Rats… you got rid of my magic counter, and my Attack Nullification… Alright… my turn." Claire drew, and groaned. "I drew Agent of Judgment-Saturn."

"Not good… that has 2400 attack and 0 defense," Will explained.

"Oh well… this monster can save me for the time being."

Will watched the monster form. "Agent of Power, Mars! Claire got lucky."

"What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"Mars' attack and defense is usually 0… but when Sanctuary of the Sky is on the field, his attack and defense are the difference between Life Points. (3900/3900)"

Brandi frowned. "A small setback. I lay a monster in defense. Your turn."

Claire drew, and grinned. "I think I win."

"What?"

"I play Raise Dead on Agent of Judgment, Saturn! (2400/0) If I have higher Life Points than you, I can sacrifice him to do damage equal to the difference! So I sacrifice him, doing 3900 damage!"

Brandi: 400

Claire: 8200

Brandi gritted her teeth. "So I lose?"

"Actually, I don't get a battle phase on the turn when I use his effect."

Brandi shrugged. "Then it's no problem, seeing as I have my Cyber Jar down."

Claire smiled. "Actually, I still win. I play Stealing Goblin! You lose 500 Life Points, and I gain 500 Life Points."

Brandi: 0

Claire: 8700

Brandi looked at the next card in her deck. "Tidal Wave. My luck sucks."

Cow went over to Max, and bit him. Max immediately leapt up, grabbed the Soul Monster, and threw it into a building. The once sturdy structure collapsed along with Cow, who howled in pain.

"You don't mess with Max," Will explained to Julia and Samuel. Toan had run over to comfort Cow, and then chase him around after the dog had bitten him again.

Max looked over at the field. "So you lost Brandi?"

"I got some unlucky draws."

Mana laughed at that.

"Shut up!" Brandi snarled.

"Let me think… uh, no." Mana continued to laugh.

Max looked over at her. "Shut up. You are annoying me."

"Ok."

Brandi clenched her hand into a fist. "I'm going to kill you one of these days…"

Julia help up a finger for silence. "Shhh… I think I hear someone coming."

"More than one person is coming," Max noted, as he used a Red Potion on himself.

Samuel looked around the corner, and came back quickly. "Officials!"

Hope grimaced. "I guess we will have to run."

Toan grinned slyly. "Actually, you don't. You have something to do here, right? Are you after the person the officials were after?"

Rue shrugged. "Maybe. Who are they after?"

"We aren't sure," Julia answered. "Someone in a black cloak."

"Yes, we are then!" Hope said eagerly. "We have to shake off those officials!"

"I have an idea," Toan snickered. "On the condition that you tell us what is going on later, I can chase those officials away. Julia, Samuel, up for it?"

They nodded.

"Let's get ready."

*****

The officials were patrolling the ruined town. 

"Do you think the others will be ok?" one asked.

"Of course!" another replied. "That fugitive is outnumbered ten to one!"

"Hey, do you hear something?" a third asked.

A rumbling noise was coming toward them rapidly. Suddenly, they heard someone shout.

"STAMPEDE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Soon they were in view. It was a frightening, yet ridiculous sight that greeted their eyes.

Two boys and one girl, along with their Soul Monsters, were being chased by over one thousand sheep. Red, blue, pink, and orange sheep were running at them. The boy with glasses also had a dog-like creature holding onto his arm, digging its fangs in. The sheep were going at a huge speed.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The officials just stared for about three seconds, before running away, screaming.

*****

Rue was on the ground, laughing very hard. Everyone else was snickering.

"That was great!" Hope said, putting up her video camera. "I can't wait to watch that again!"

"Too true! Did you see the look on the official's faces? It was hilarious!"

Max seemed preoccupied by something though.

"What's wrong Max?" Gaston asked.

"Something's coming. Can't you feel it?"

It was then that they noticed the tremors that were occurring.

To be continued…


	31. Old Friends

Sorry I took so long. _; Disgaea has kept me busy. _;

***Chapter 31: Old Friends***

"The ground's shaking!" Hope exclaimed.

"No duh," Rue replied. "Is the stampede coming back?"

"No, it's coming from the opposite direction," Will pointed out. 

It was then that the creature came into view. The most noticeable thing about it was that it was huge. Hope roughly estimated it was around two stories high, maybe a little bit taller. It was blue, and had three heads. Or were they heads? They looked more like masks.

Gaston, Ruecian, Olympion, Neo, and Perseus all got into a defensive position immediately. Everyone else was simply stunned by how big the monster was, except for Max, whose hand flew to his katana.

Mana's skin had lost all of its color at the sight of the beast. She managed to stammer out a sentence though.

"I… uh… er… have… to… leave now!"

No sooner had she said that then she ran away, towards the forest, as fast as her legs could carry her.

"It looks like we are dealing with a demon," Will stated wryly. 

"How would you know?" Hope asked.

"Didn't you see how fast she ran out of there? Brandi did say she was very frightened of demons."

Hope couldn't deny that. "Well, it doesn't look like an angel, that's for sure."

"Should I attack?" Gaston looked extremely nervous, but wasn't about to back down.

"No way! All he has to do is step, and you will be flattened!" Hope pointed out. "Maybe he won't attack."

"That would be luck. We have never had luck," Rue joked.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Hope muttered.

The monster's three heads just looked at them during the whole time.

"It doesn't look like it is going to strike..." Will stated. "Hey Max… what are you looking at?"

Max was staring just behind the beast. "Identify yourself!"

A teen walked out from behind the monster's huge leg. He wore a grayish-blue sweatshirt with a black jacket over it. He also had on blue jeans, and casual tennis shoes. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and wore glasses.

"Yo. I'm sorry if my Soul Monster, Masque, caused you alarm," the guy said.

"Who are you?" Rue inquired. "And what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you… I am here to find a certain duelist."

"Who would that be?" was Will's question.

"A master with demons, or so the rumors claim."

Max stepped forward. "You found the right person. My whole deck is consisted of demons."

Olympion snarled in agreement.

"I see. In that case, let's have a duel." The boy activated his Duel Disk. 

"And why would I duel you?"

"I run a deck of demons too. Let us duel to see who the real master of demons is."

Max activated his Duel Disk. "Fine, but let's be quick."

As he shuffled his deck, the teen took some time to examine the boy's companions. A girl with an Elven Swordsman, a boy with a Black Paladin, another boy with a Magic Swordsman: Neo, a girl with a Heavenly Knight: Perseus, and a girl who's Soul Monster had fled. For some reason, he felt like he had seen the girl who lacked her Soul Monster and the one he was dueling before. He shook off the feeling though, as he inserted his cards into his Duel Disk.

Max: 8000

???: 8000

"So, who should go first?" the teen asked.

"I will." Max drew his card, and frowned. "Hm… I didn't draw a demon. Therefore, Olympion won't be able to use his effect."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"Olympion's effect has one bad side effect; if the first card I draw is not a demon, then Olympion's ability is negated for the rest of the duel."

"Ouch… there goes your advantage," Will said.

"N-GAGED!" Rue yelled.

"Mental note; kick Rue's ass later," Max muttered before turning back to the duel. "I lay one monster in defense, and a card down."

"It's my turn then." The boy drew his card. "Hm… not a bad hand. First, I play Cyclone on your face down card."

"You hit my Bandit's Swiss Army Knife."

"Good. I will summon Cursed Gyura. (1500/800) Then I will play the magic card Devil's Sanctuary. This generates one Metal Devil Token. (0/0) Now, I sacrifice Cursed Gyura and my Metal Devil Token to special summon Death Guardius! (3300/2500)"

"It looks exactly like his Soul Monster... just not as big…" Will noted.

"Masque is indeed a Death Guardius. Now, my Death Guardius attacks your monster!"

"You destroyed my Newt. (1900/400) You lose 500 attack due to his effect. (2800/2500)"

"It doesn't effect me that much. I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Max drew his card. _How familiar I am with that move… I've only had it used on me too much…_ "I lay another monster in defense, and two more cards down."

"Hm… to attack or not… I suppose I will attack."

"I activate Torture Wheel!"

"Alright, I can't counter that. It's your move."

"On my standby phase, you lose 500 Life Points to Torture Wheel."

Max: 8000

???: 7500

"Now I flip over my Dark Jelloid. (1200/1500) When he is reverse summoned, I can choose one monster of yours and lower its attack by 800. (2000/2500) Now I sacrifice my Dark Jelloid and summon Great Demon Gaazetto! His attack is double the monsters that I used to sacrifice. (2400/0) Now, attack Death Guardius!"

Max: 8000

???: 7100

"That was pretty impressive. It's too bad that you did all of that work for nothing. For now my Death Guardius' effect is activated!"

"That's right… you get to equip a Bequeathed Mask from your deck onto one of my monsters. You take control of the monster you equip it to. I won't let you get away with that though. I activate Harpy's Feather Sweep, destroying all of your magics and traps."

"Drat, you also destroyed my Cry of the Living Dead… so much for bringing Death Guardius back…"

"I'm done with my turn."

The boy drew, and smirked. "Hm… this looks promising. I lay two cards down, and summon Lamp Spirit-Ra Djinn. (1800/1000) It's your turn."

Max looked at him doubtfully. "You must have some trap down, or you would never put Ra Djinn in attack mode…"

"Why don't you attack, and find out?"

"Alright then, I will!"

"I activate my trap card, Howl of the Underworld! I pay as many Life Points as I want, in hundreds, and your monster loses that amount of attack points! So I pay 700 Life Points, lowering your Gaazetto to 1700 attack!"

Max: 7900

???: 6400

Max looked at his hand. "Just great…" 

"I will also activate my other trap card, Ouija Board! At the end of each of your turns, the board will get a letter from my deck, spelling out the word of your demise!"

"What?!" Max looked shocked. "Tell me your name! Now!"

The teen gave him a strange look. "I'm called Matt."

"Matt?! What?! How?!" Max exclaimed.

Matt suddenly realized why his opponent looked familiar. "Wait… Max, is that you?"

"Of course it's me!"

"I could have sworn… that you looked… familiar…" He looked over at the spectators. "So you are Brandi?"

"Yeah, it's me." She examined his face. "I should have recognized you! But the glasses threw me off…"

"Same with Max's cloak and sombrero," Matt replied. "It looks like you picked up some new cloths since the last time we were together. I can see you kept your deck the same though."

Max looked at the cards in his hand. "Why would I change it? You were the one who built me and Brandi our decks…"

Everyone else was staring from the sidelines, trying to figure out what was going on. 

"Wait a second… Max knows this guy? What is going on?" Rue asked. 

"Matt, Max, and I have been friends ever since kindergarten," Brandi explained. "He was the one who got us into Duel Monsters. He even composed a deck for both of us, based off our interests. We often dueled each other. Sometimes, Max and I would both be against Matt, yet we could never win. He always beat us. He is even called Daemon sometimes, due to winning so many tournaments with his Demon deck. However, we lost contact with each other after Max and I fled."

"You are saying this guy is a great duelist… yet he uses Ouija Board in a Demon deck? That seems a little… odd, to put it lightly," Rue pointed out.

"You wouldn't believe how many times Ouija Board has bailed me out of a jam," Matt assured. "We can catch up on old times after this duel Max. Are you going to do anything else?"

"Oh, right… no, I end my turn."

"Then my Ouija Board lets me play Death Message E from my deck. Now, on my turn, I attack with Ra Djinn."

"I will activate Attack Nullification, halting your attack."

"Hm… in that case, I end my turn."

"I summon Demon Soldier! (1900/1500) Attack Ra Djinn! I lay a card down before ending."

Max: 7900

Matt: 6300

"When you end, I play Death Message E from my deck. Now I draw, and lay one card down. Your turn."

_It might be a trap… but with his Ouija Board on the field, I can't hesitate any longer!_ "I summon Gil Gars! (1800/1200)"

"I activate my trap, Tidal Wave! All of your monsters are destroyed."

"…End turn…"

"I get Death Message T from my deck. Now I summon Headless Knight. (1450/1700)"

"I activate my trap card, Pit Trap! Since your monster is over 1000 attack points, it is destroyed."

"Very well. I end my turn without doing anything else. It is pretty much over now anyway. I know you don't have any other magic or trap destroying cards, and you can't wipe out all of my Life Points in one blow."

Max took a quick look at the card he drew. "Actually… there is a way."

"Oh?"

"First, I summon Giant Orc. (2200/0) Then, I remove my Gil Gars, Demon Soldier, and Gaazetto to special summon Dark Necrophia. (2200/2800) And then, I play Raise Dead! Your Death Guardius is now mine! They all attack!"

Max: 7900

Matt: 6300

"What the…?!"

"Looks like I finally beat you," Max stated. "I was lucky to draw Raise Dead."

"CoughSTACKEDDECKCough," Rue said. 

"Are you trying to get beheaded?" Max drew his katana.

"Um… what gave you that idea Max? I didn't say anything!"

"…Right. I'll deal with you later." Max sheathed his katana, much to Rue's relief. 

*****

"There he is!" one of the officials in the group of ten shouted.

The man in the black cloak sighed. "My patience is running low… these fools have been chasing me for at least an hour." He shrugged. "I guess I might as well kill them all."

The officials finally saw where he was, and began to run toward him. That was when at least a hundred black shapes jumped from the bushes and trees. In seconds, all of the officials were lying in a pool of their own blood.

*****

The sun was setting as they decided to settle down for the night in the town. Matt decided to stay with them for the night, as he wanted to talk to Max and Brandi. Will immediately realized what they would probably talk about would be personal, so he managed to convince the others to stay a short distance away from them, far enough to not overhear.

"So Max, where have you been all this time?"

"In Columbia. I'm sorry I didn't contact you, but I couldn't give my step father any hints."

"Don't worry, I understand."

Max seemed disturbed about something. "Tell me… how is my mother doing?"

Matt's expression was nothing short of depressed. "She's weakening. None of us know how much longer she has. One time I talked to her, she said that before she dies, she wants to see you one last time."

Max was silent, and then nodded. He got up and began to walk away.

"This is bad…" Brandi said. "He will blame himself for his mother's death as well."

Hope had been walking by them when she heard this. "I don't know much about Max's past, but I get the feeling he can't take another blow before completely losing the remaining spirit he has."

"You're right there," Brandi agreed. "I'm the only reason he has lived this long anyway."

Hope was quiet for a few minutes. All of a sudden, she said, "I have an idea that might help. Brandi, can you keep everyone besides Max and Olympion away from this area?"

"Uh… sure," Brandi said. "If that's what you want." She got up to go over to the area the others were in. She seemed to be talking to Rue. Rue pulled out his deck and began shuffling it, while Brandi did the same.

"I guess that will work," Matt shrugged. "So, what's your idea?"

"You'll see soon enough. Now, which direction did he go?"

*****

"Where are they going?" Rue asked, seeing that Hope and Matt were leaving.

Masque, who was about a yard away due to his enormous size, gave a low hiss.

"Oh, Hope lost something of hers, Matt volunteered to help."

"Why can't we help?"

"Because I'm destroying you in this duel. You going to make a move yet?"

Neo was preoccupied by something. "Why hasn't Mana come back?"

"I summon Gemini Elf, and attack your set monster! Well, Masque is still here. You think she'll come back when he's gone Brandi?"

"Most likely. You hit my Sphere Bomb."

"…I hate you."

"Glad to hear it."

*****

Max was on top of one of the buildings. Although it was blackened by the fire, it had somehow managed to stay upright. About two stories high, with many stones loosened from the main structure that served as holds, Max had found no problem in climbing to the top, where he was free to think, with just Olympion beside him. He gazed at the sunset, a cool wind blowing his cloak lightly.

_So my suspicions were correct… she is dying. Our leave just made it harder for her. _He sighed. _What should I do now?_

"There you are! Can we join you?"

Max was pulled from his thoughts as he looked down and saw Hope, who had called out, and Matt. "Oh… um, sure."

In a few minutes, they had arrived at the top. Hope swung her legs over the side of the building, and Matt sat on Max's left. They stared at the sunset for a few minutes in silence before Hope broke it.

"Max, I have heard that your life has been a continuing horror story."

Max didn't reply.

"I think I can help though. You see, I can mentally heal people. While I cannot completely heal old wounds, perhaps I can cause them to not hurt as much. So, what do you say?"

Matt was confused, but stayed quiet. _She knows what she is doing._

Max just kept looking at the sun. "If you think you can help… I guess you can try."

Hope grinned. "Excellent! Ok, I only need you to do one thing, and then I can help."

"And what would that be?"

"I need you to tell me everything. Explain what your life has been like. Don't leave out any details. You can trust me... I won't tell anyone else, I promise."

"…"

"I know that it is a hard thing to do, bringing up the past. But if you keep running from it, it will eventually catch up to you, and you will be worse off than before."

"…You have a point. Fine… I will tell you, if you are sure."

"I am."

"Alright… then let me think… where to begin? Well, you know what I experienced at age ten, thanks to Echecs. How my step father had told me I had killed that man, how he despised me. Back then, I had lived in Myrtle Beach. I had taken Brandi and fled to Columbia. When we arrived there, we managed to find a husband and wife who took us in as their foster children. They were being paid by my mother, although I did not know it for some time. They were often gone on business trips and such though, and could not afford to bring us, so Brandi and I were usually alone."

"Depressed is an understatement. My soul was torn to pieces, and I could not mend it. Twice a day, I would attempt suicide, only to be stopped by Brandi. Medications would not have helped, even if we had the means to acquire them."

"At school, I was often picked on, being the weak person I was back then. Brandi helped me then too. She took kick-boxing lessons to protect me. This continued for quite some time… about three years."

"I was thirteen then. I had heard of Teknisk Wereld. Brandi and I weren't really interested in Duel Monsters anymore, seeing as Matt was not there to duel us, but I saw this as an opportunity to finally end it all. I got out my old deck, and signed up. Then I went in Teknisk Wereld, and stayed in it for two weeks straight. My plan was to never leave it, and I didn't leave it."

"In the real world, Brandi was getting more worried each day for me. Each day, my body grew more dry. I was on the brink of dehydration and starvation. After two weeks had passed, Brandi couldn't take it any more. She deactivated the Envoyant Machine, and called the hospital. I eventually recovered, but that is the closest I have ever gotten to actually managing to kill myself."

"Brandi could not stand the thought of me doing that again. She signed up for Teknisk Wereld to make sure I did not attempt to stay in it too long. When we were sixteen, we dropped out of school, as we found it unimportant."

"In the past three years, I have changed a lot. Olympion has kept my emotions in check, and I have grown stronger. I learned to survive. If you looked at the past me, and how I am now, you would think them two different people. And in truth, we are. I am not a soulless person though. I still feel anger, hatred, sadness, fear, and most of all, depression. But I don't show it as often. I have tried to separate myself from everyone but Brandi. You see this cloak and sombrero I wear? It is to hide myself from the world. To avoid all of those who wish me harm. Maybe inside, I am still the scared boy I was back then. Maybe I just hide it with my emotionless expression. I am not sure. I am not sure on many things… hardly any, in fact."

"Now, I have heard my mother lies close to death. She was always a weak person physically… now it is just all the worse for her. She wants to see me again, but I can't bring myself to face her, after all of the pain I caused her. I do not know what I should do. All I know for sure is that I can never forgive my step father."

Throughout the narrative, Hope and Matt had not said a word. Hope did notice that a slight black aura was being pulled to Olympion though.

"That is all there really is to tell. If you think you can heal me, then go ahead and try."

Hope smiled softly. "I already did."

"What?"

"Max, you just told me all of your painful past, and Matt too. Brandi knows as well. Now you have three people who can help you bear it. Don't you feel better, knowing that we can help you pull through? You aren't alone anymore."

Matt agreed. "Yeah. If you ever need to talk, just say so. We will listen."

Max looked up, and Hope thought she saw gratitude in Max's eyes. Still, it was hard to tell.

"I see… thanks for helping… both of you."

They stayed to watch the sunset. No words passed between them. They didn't need to talk to know what the others were feeling.

*****

"I attack you directly with Mad Dog of Darkness. That's game."

"ARGH!" Rue slammed his fist into the ground. "That's got to be at least ten losses, and not one win!"

"You lost twenty four times. I counted."

Rue glared at Will. "Who asked you?"

"I was simply pointing out your error."

"It's an error to be provoking someone that wields an axe that is longer than you!"

Claire was giggling quietly at the scene, when she heard someone approaching. She turned to look. "Max, Matt, Hope! Hi! We were getting worried!"

Hope threw herself down by her backpack. "No need to. Nobody else is in this town."

"I know, but still, after what we have been through, you can't blame me for feeling a little cautious."

"True." Will had pulled out Loamhedge again. "I think it's high time we call it a night."

"Not before I beat Brandi!" Rue declared.

"You are not wasting ten years of my life trying to beat her," Will said, calmly dodging a piece of firewood thrown at his head. "You can try again later."

After a few more complaints, everyone was soon settled down for the night.

*****

In the morning, they began to plan on what they would do.

"Well, I think I'm going to be going now," Matt said. "I'd really like to help you guys, but I need to do something important back in the real world. So, I'll see you all later."

"…Hold on," Max requested. "Before you leave… I want to do something. Just stay here, I will be right back."

He pulled up the menu in his Duel Disk, and had soon vanished.

"That was odd," Rue commented.

In a few minutes, a teenager suddenly appeared. He wore an orange t-shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes. He had a katana strapped to him. He had dark brown hair, while his brown eyes were slightly softer.

"Who the heck are you?" Rue asked.

"You moron. I leave you for five minutes, and you already forget who I am?"

"Max!" Hope gasped. "Your cape… and sombrero… what happened to them?"

"I don't need them anymore," he said simply.

Hope immediately realized what he meant, but did not say anything about it.

"They made you look a lot cooler," Rue joked.

"I'm not asking for your fashion sense." He paused. "Matt… tell her not to give up yet. Tell her to just wait."

Matt looked surprised, and then nodded. He pulled up the menu on his Duel Disk.

"I'll see you guys later. Oh, one other thing." He walked up to Brandi, and lightly kissed her. "I've been wanting to do that for a while. Later!" He teleported out, Masque following.

Rue laughed at Brandi's extremely red face. "Looks like Brandi has a boyfriend!"

"If you don't want to get killed, then shut up!" Brandi snarled.

Rue tried to stifle his snickers.

Luckily for her, the moment was soon interrupted with a piercing scream.

To be continued…


	32. The Ninja’s Techniques

Sorry for the lack of updates! Here's the end of the cliffhanger! _

***Chapter 32: The Ninja's Techniques***

Surprised by the scream, everyone jumped. Rue dropped his axe, and swore loudly when the handle slammed his foot.

Hope looked around wildly. "What the heck was that?!"

Brandi growled an oath. "I'd recognize that anywhere… it's Mana!"

"Come to think of it, she didn't ever return!" Claire realized. "What are we waiting for? Let's find her!"

"As if we would arrive in time," Max pointed out. "It will take some time to maneuver these trees, even at full speed."

Still grumbling under his breath about the axe, Rue grabbed something out of his pocket. "That's why I have these; my Candle of Fate! This card speeds up our movement rate, but only for a short amount of time." He proceeded to activate it. "Now let's go!"

"Speeding up, huh?" Neo suddenly shot forward at a huge speed, and crashed through three trees before managing to stop. 

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that little side effect. Your body isn't used to being able to move so fast…" Rue explained.

"I'd prefer to know these things AHEAD OF TIME!" Neo snarled, picking himself up.

"This isn't the time for arguments. Let's just get moving." Will shot forward into the forest, the others soon following. Although it was hard to stay on course, most of them managed. Brandi had the easiest time, while Neo kept crashing into trees by accident.

"Poor guy," Hope said sympathetically as she watched him slam into a particularly thick one, causing it to collapse.

*****

Mana didn't even have time to rise before she was struck again. Her opponent was too quick for the eye to see, and she couldn't defend herself against his swift attacks. She was thrown across the clearing, and landed with a painful thud. 

She slowly lifted her head as the black streak leapt at her, and knew that she wouldn't be able to last the next vicious assault. 

Suddenly, a figure shot out from the trees, one that was even quicker than the enemy. The opponent, in mid air, couldn't dodge, and was thrown back with a snarl, colliding with a tree. Mana's savior was thrown back into a tree as well. The trunk snapped in half almost instantly. It toppled backwards, thankfully not hitting anyone.

Brandi jumped into the clearing first, the others following. Luckily for them, the Candle of Fate wore off as they landed. Will shook his head at the one who had caused the chaos.

"Way to make an entrance Neo…"

Neo rose slowly, groaning. "You may think its funny, but you aren't the one whose back is broken!"

"You are wearing armor. In other words, that is an overreaction."

Brandi went over to Mana. "Are you alright?"

"I-I think so…" she replied. "He took me on surprise, that's all…"

The figure was already rising. He looked human enough to the casual eye. He wore black clothes, with a red belt, red knee guards, and a cross between a scarf and cape that was red as well. He also had golden bracelets on his arms and legs, with a gold mask. He carried two sharp, silver kunai. Without a word, he jumped backwards, landing on a tree branch neatly. That was when another person jumped into the clearing. His black cloak hid all of his features. 

"Who the hell are you?" Max demanded.

The man sighed. "Impatient as always. Why explain who I am, when you will not remember anyway? You will die too quickly for it to be of any importance." He brought out a knife.

"You can't be thinking of fighting us all at once, can you? Or are you trying to commit suicide?" Rue inquired.

"True, I am outnumbered at the moment. Which is why I think I will even the odds a little." He made several gestures swiftly with his hands. Suddenly, out of nowhere, at least a hundred more black figures appeared.

"What the…!" Gaston gasped.

"…That has GOT to be Kage Bushin no Jutsu," Will stated.

"Been watching a little too much Naruto again?" Neo joked.

"You shut up."

"This isn't a time to be chatting!" Hope interrupted. "We are outnumbered horribly! In a fight, we will definitely lose!"

It was then that the copies lunged at the group. Everyone reached for their weapons, prepared to fight to the death.

Brandi had other ideas though. She jumped to the front of the group, and then sprang at the clones. 

"Brandi! What are you doing?!" Claire yelled.

Max's face grew pale. "YOU IDIOT! YOU ARE **NOT **DOING WHAT I THINK YOU ARE DOING!"

"It's either this or die!" Brandi retorted. Then, she ran at the attacking mass. Suddenly, she wasn't there anymore. She was moving so quickly that she could hardly be seen. The black cloaked duplicates fell like wheat to a scythe. They didn't stand a chance as she zipped through them, completely tearing through all of their weaker bodies. 

"Oh… gosh…" Hope whispered. 

"What on earth?!" Rue exclaimed.

"Her speed… it's even faster then when Candle of Fate was active!" Will said.

As quickly as she had left, she was back, collapsing in front of them, as all of the black figures were torn apart. This whole process had taken place in under ten seconds. Everyone winced as they heard Brandi scream harshly, not stopping, unable to rise due to pain. Max was by her side immediately, searching his pile of spare cards.

"You moron!" He pulled out something hastily. "Blue Potion!" 

Brandi ceased her cries, but still did not rise, as her legs were surrounded by a soft, blue light. 

The original General of Hell was paralyzed in astonishment. "What the hell did you do?!"

"I'd like to know as well," Perseus stated. Everyone else seemed to agree with him.

Max got up, shaking his head. "Brandi has trained for quite a while in kick boxing, as you all know. She also trained herself to run at incredible speeds, ones that hardly anyone, if anyone, can match her in. The problem with this? Going too fast results in ripping all of her leg muscles." He glared at Brandi. "I told you not to do that anymore!"

She shrugged weakly. "We would have been slaughtered if we hadn't."

The General growled. "Damn it! I only have the power to do that once a day…" The man threw off his cloak. He wore black clothes similar to his companions. His hair and eyes were dark brown. The fiery orb shone around his neck. He also carried a few kunai. "I guess a duel is unavoidable. And, like usual, the loser dies."

"And why wouldn't I just skewer you?" Max asked, drawing his katana.

"Because I won't let you. I may not be able to make more doppelgangers, but I have other techniques. To save yourself the trouble of having to face them, I suggest we duel." His Soul Monster jumped down to join him.

Will stepped forward. "Fine then. I'll duel you."

Rue glanced at Will. "You, duel him?"

"I know quite a bit about ninjas, which is what this man obviously is."

He nodded. "That is correct. I am Xion, and my companion, the Swift Black Ninja, is known as Zever."

"I'm called Will, and he's Neo."

Will: 8000

Xion: 8000

"I will make the first move," Xion announced. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and two cards down."

"Hm… I lay one card down, and summon Magician's Valkyria! (1600/1800)"

"I activate my trap card, Chained Boomerang! Your monster goes to defense mode!"

Will frowned at his hand. "I guess I am done then…"

"Good, then it is my turn. I flip over my Red Ninja! (300/300) When reverse summoned, this monster can destroy one trap card on the field. So I use its effect on your trap!"

"You hit my Hidden Tomes… what a waste…"

"It matters not; your field is now practically clear. I will first summon Ninja Wonder Dog! (1800/1000) Then I activate my other face down card, Ninja Technique, Transformation! I must sacrifice one monster with Ninja in its name to activate this. In exchange, I can search my deck for a monster three levels higher, or lower, and special summon it to the field! So say hello to my Revolver Dragon! (2600/2200)"

"That's impossible!" Will protested. "For one, Ninja Wonder Dog doesn't actually count as a Ninja monster! And Ninja Technique, Transformation can only get an Animal, Bird, or Insect Sub-Type!"

"That is where Zever comes in," Xion responded. "His ability is very unique. He effects every Ninja card in a different way. For Ninja Wonder Dog… well, it is classified as a Ninja. As for my Ninja Technique, Transformation, I am allowed to fetch any Sub-Type I desire. So my Revolver Dragon is ready to obliterate you! Now I will activate his special effect! I flip three coins. If two or more are heads, I destroy one monster on the field."

A hologram of a coin about the size of a basketball appeared. 

"Heads, tails, and… heads! Lady Luck must be on vacation for me…" Will muttered as he watched his monster be blasted away.

"Now, both of my monsters will attack you directly! You are lucky that there are no penalties to losing Life Points… I lay one card down." 

Will: 5100

Xion: 8000

Will examined his turn's draw. "A sneaky tactic, but it has its flaws. First, I play Raise Dead on my Magician's Valkyria. Then, I sacrifice it for Magical Marionette! (2000/1000)" 

"You do realize that is not strong enough to take on my Revolver Dragon, right?"

"That may be true, but I have my ways. I activate Clarity of Mind, giving it a magic counter. Then I play Cyclone on your face down card!"

"You attempted to destroy my Chained Boomerang. I will chain it, switching your Marionette to defense mode."

"Drat… at least I can still use its effect! By removing two magic counters, I can destroy your Revolver Dragon! Then I end."

Xion smirked. "At least you are somewhat better than some of my other opponents. Not much better, but a little. I switch my Red Ninja to defense mode, and summon another Ninja Wonder Dog. (1800/1000) Now it destroys your Marionette. Then I end."

Will seemed satisfied at what he drew. "I play Angel's Gift, and discard two Clarity of Minds. Now I summon Magic Warrior: Breaker! (1900/1000) He'll slaughter your Ninja Wonder Dog!"

Will: 5100

Xion: 7900

"A small loss… I summon Skilled Black Ninja! (1700/1200) Then I equip him with Air Shruiken! This equip would normally only raise his attack by 700, but with Zever, it raises his attack by 1000 instead! (2700/1200) Now, attack Breaker!"

Will: 4300

Xion: 7900 

"Just great…" Will looked at his draw. "It looks like I got lucky. I play Thunderbolt! This will wipe out all of your monsters!"

The electricity came crashing down. At the last second though, the Swift Black Ninja vanished, leaving the Red Ninja to be destroyed.

"You must not have known of my monster's ability. By removing two monsters from my Cemetery, I can remove my monster from the game until the end of your turn. Normally, you would have to remove Dark Main-Types, but Zever once again helps me there."

Will grimaced. "Not good… I'll lay one monster in defense mode."

"My Skilled Black Ninja comes back into play. I will have him attack your defense monster!"

Will grinned. "You attacked my Tenacious Old Magician. (450/600) His effect lets me destroy one monster on your field, so there goes Skilled Black Ninja."

The Magician blasted the Ninja with a wave of magic before dissolving. The Ninja managed to throw his shruiken at Will before being destroyed. 

"A small side effect of my Air Shruiken is that when it is destroyed, you lose 700 Life Points. With Zever, 1000. I will then summon Blue Ninja, (300/300) and lay one card down."

Will: 3300

Xion: 7900

"That has got to be a trap," Neo said.

"I figured that much…" Will replied. "I don't have much choice though, do I? I summon Black Forest Witch! (1100/1200) She attacks!"

"I activate Ninja Technique, Transformation! By sacrificing my Blue Ninja, I special summon my Blowback Dragon! (2300/1200) Still attacking?"

"…Call off the attack. I lay one card down."

Xion snickered. "That's what I thought. Now I will activate my Blowback Dragon's special ability. I toss three coins, and if two or more are heads, I destroy one of your cards." 

_Dang it! If he destroys my trap, it's over!_ Will realized.

The coin seemed to hang in the air for hours before landing.

"Heads, tails… TAILS! You got lucky this time… Blowback Dragon, attack!"

"Not a smart idea," Will smirked. "You ran right into my Holy Barrier-Mirror Force!"

"Damn it! I lay a card down, and a monster in defense."

"I summon Turner of the Dead: Kaiku! (1800/700) Now, I will pay 500 Life Points to have my Witch attack your face down card, using Neo's ability!"

"No! My Magic Cylinder…"

"Now Kaiku attacks your defense monster!"

"Drat it all… my Female Ninja Yae! (1100/200)"

"Your turn."

Will: 2800

Xion: 7900

Xion drew, and shrugged. "This will do… I play Black Hole. Then I am done."

"I use my Witch's ability to search my deck and get my second Kaiku. Now I summon it! Then I equip it with Power of Magicians, raising its attack and defense by 500! (2300/1200) Now, he attacks you directly! Remove your Revolver and Blowback Dragons!"

Will: 2800

Xion: 5600

He drew, and muttered a soft curse. "I pass…"

"And my Kaiku attacks you again. Remove your Swift Black Ninja and Female Ninja Yae."

Will: 2800

Xion: 3300

"I must pass again…"

"I play one card face down. (2800/1200) Then Kaiku attacks! Remove whatever else you have…"

Will: 2800

Xion: 500

"Ah, good. I summon Female Ninja Yae! Then I equip her with Air Shruiken! (2100/200) Then I discard my Red Ninja from my hand. When I discard a monster from my hand, I can destroy all of your magic and trap cards!"

"…You also destroyed my Hidden Tomes… is this effect…?"

"Yes, this is Zever's doing. Normally, you have to discard an Air Main-Type, and it only sends the cards to your hand… now, attack Kaiku! (1800/700)"

Will: 2500

Xion: 500

"I play Sealing Swords of Light, and end…"

Xion drew, and then laughed. "I discard my Blue Ninja to destroy your Swords, then attack directly!"

Will: 400

Xion: 500

"You cannot win now! Even if you did have a strong enough monster, my Air Shruiken would still take out the rest of your Life Points!"

Neo looked worried. "Is there no way to win?"

Will looked at his deck. "Actually… there is a way to win…" He pulled the card free of the Duel Disk slowly, and looked it. "And I just drew it."

"There's no way you can win!"

"Oh really? Then you didn't count on this…" Will inserted the card in his Duel Disk. The picture revealed itself to Xion. He immediately grew pale.

"No! It can't be!"

"Oh, it can…" Will said. "Behold the key to your defeat… the Change of Heart!"

The Female Ninja Yae walked over to Will's side of the field. 

Will pointed at Zion. "Go, Yae! Destroy the one you call Master!" 

Will: 400

Xion: 0

"No… I lost… but… how could…"

He then trailed off, and collapsed. Zever did as well. The cause was apparent when Will looked closer. Sticking out of each of their backs were over ten kunai each.

To be continued…


	33. Have I Met You?

Now we get more serious. Forget free dueling-there might be ONE, at max. That's pretty much it. 

***Chapter 33: Have I Met You?***

The girl was walking home. She wore a green t-shirt, and blue jeans. Her brown, hair was tied back in a ponytail, which was about a foot below shoulder length. Her eyes were a calm brown. She looked to be a young adult.

Home? Actually, that wasn't exactly correct. But she called it home anyway. She would be going to her real home in a few years… or so she believed. For now, she was in college, living in an apartment.

She was wondering what had happened to Teknisk Wereld. While it was not her biggest priority to visit there, she did like to visit there in her free hours. But something was going on there… something she didn't like. 

She shrugged to herself. Probably nothing she could fix. She would just have to be patient.

So instead, she was taking a long walk in the close-by park. A pretty place that was currently empty. She liked it that way-it gave her some time to think.

Soon her thoughts came to an abrupt halt though. She suddenly saw someone. She was curious-this person was wearing a long, black cloak, yet the night was warm. Why wear such a cumbersome thing?

The person then began to walk toward her. She considered leaving then, but decided to see what this person wanted.

The person simply walked up to her. He was a few inches above her, and seemed to be staring at her. Of course she couldn't tell-the cloak concealed his face.

"Good evening," she said politely. "May I ask who you are?"

"Good evening indeed. I think you are the person I wished to talk to."

The girl frowned. "What?"

The man walked toward her, and whispered something in her ear. She suddenly grew pale. The man simply stood back, and with a smirk, brought out an orb that seemed to glow with fire. He quietly spoke a few words.

The girl stared in shock before collapsing.

*****

"Well, that is that," Will stated. "Shall we move on?"

Hope tried to avoid looking at the corpses. "Let's please do so."

Rue however couldn't tear his eyes away from the figures. Something was wrong… he wanted to get closer… make sure they were dead… taste the blood they spilled…

"Rue? Is something wrong?" Claire asked.

He shook his head. "I'm alright. Yeah, we'd better get moving."

_That look in his eyes… the moment of freedom it had gave it the chance it wanted… now it cannot suppress itself…_ Claire sighed. _I will have to tell him eventually… but when?_

"Shall we leave the forest?" Max asked. "We never crossed the lake, did we? That could be our next destination."

"Sounds good to me," Will agreed. "Brandi, Mana, you fit to walk?"

Brandi nodded, rising. "I've rested enough."

"I am fit to go," Mana assured. 

With that being said, they began to walk in the direction of the lake. The trip was mainly made in silence, aside from one point in where Neo tripped over a fallen tree trunk. The crash of armor echoed throughout the forest.

"What is it with tree trunks today?" Hope wondered. "It seems like Neo keeps getting owned by them, one way or another."

"Aw shut up," Neo grumbled, picking himself up. 

*****

After some time, they finally arrived at the lake. Brandi was able to find the boat she had used, but immediately realized a problem.

"We're not all going to be able to fit in this small thing."

Max brought out another card. "That's why I brought a Ship to the Sunset along with me." He summoned the monster, a huge boat-like structure. "We can't depend on this to stick around very long, but it will be long enough to get to the other side of the lake."

With that said, they all boarded the ship, and Max went to the front. "Is everyone ready?"

"Aye aye captain!" Rue joked, making a mock salute.

"Yeah yeah, very funny." Max began to give commands on how to steer the ship. After a few minutes of this, they each grabbed a paddle, and away they went.

*****

A little while later, Max called a halt. "The ship's time is about to expire. And this is a good point to stop."

Everyone else came over to look over the side of the ship, and saw what he meant. They were at land; unfortunately for Hope, it was covered with snow.

"Ack! Cold! I hate the cold!" she shivered.

"Deal with it," Rue said as they jumped off the ship.

"Let's see YOU deal with it after living in Texas for most of your life! It was actually WARM there!"

"Break it up," Claire interrupted. "Hope, you'll get used to it soon. Just keep walking, to warm up your blood."

"Easy for you to say…" she muttered, but ceased complaining after that for about five minutes.

They began to cross the snowy field. With no land marks, it all looked the same to Hope. And just to make things worse for her, it began to snow heavily.

"I HATE THIS!" she said as she stumbled yet again. "How much farther do we have to go?"

"A lot farther," Will said without turning around.

"Yep. So just keep being a pedestrian for a little while longer," Max called back to her.

"Um… ok. Just one thing… what is a pedestrian?" Hope asked.

Everyone facefaulted. 

Rue got up slowly, wiping snow from his face. "Are you sure you are in eighth grade?"

"Huh? What's the matter?"

Neo shook his head. "Geez, even I knew what pedestrian meant!"

"It means someone who walks," Gaston added for her benefit. 

"I was supposed to know this?" 

"I learned that… in like first grade," Brandi commented. "As I'm sure most people have."

Hope sighed wearily. "Well, excuse my limited vocabulary!"

"Don't you mean VERY limited?" Rue teased.

"Hey!"

While they were arguing, Ruecian had been keeping watch. He suddenly grabbed Rue's arm.

"What's the matter?" Rue asked. Then he noticed something nearby. "Well, it looks like we found our opponent."

Just in front of them was indeed a black cloaked figure, who had previously been invisible due to the snow. Although the winds whipped the cloak around, it still concealed everything about the figure. 

"So you are the General of Hell in this area?" Max inquired.

The person spoke back, with a harsh, grating voice. "That is correct. I will be dueling, and I have already chosen my opponent. Hope Gales, step forward, and prepare your Duel Disk."

"What?" Hope looked at him doubtfully. "Why me?"

"Oh, I have my reasons… now, are you ready? There are no Life Point loss conditions, but the duelist who loses will die."

Gaston glared at the General. "I don't trust this person… that voice gives me the creeps. I mean, I can't even tell if that's a male or female! And did you notice that he or she has no Soul Monster?"

Hope's eyes widened. "You're right! So that's what looked so wrong about you!"

"I have certain reasons… now enough stalling! Do you accept, or just choose to die?"

Hope sighed. "Fine, fine, I accept. Let's hurry though-it's freezing out here!"

"You should have just chosen death… for whether I win or lose, I still emerge the victor."

"What?"

"You'll see soon enough..." the figure said, giving a bone-chilling laugh.

Hope: 8000

General: 8000

"You challenged me, so I'll go first. I set one monster, and end my turn at that." Hope wasn't especially worried, even though she had no traps down.

"A poor move… I summon UFO Turtle! (1400/1200) Now it attacks your monster!"

"You ran into my Twilight Zone Female Warrior! (1500/1600) I won't activate her special ability yet."

Hope: 8000

General: 7800

"I will just lay two more cards."

Hope examined her hand carefully. "Hm… I summon Gestufuuma! (1700/1200) I attack your UFO Turtle with it!"

"I chain your attack with Blessing of God. Each time I draw, I get 500 more Life Points. I will let UFO Turtle die, so that I can search my deck for a Fire Main-Type with 1500 attack or less and special summon it. So I special summon Big Bangirl. (1300/1500)"

Hope groaned. "Just what I need. A Big Bangirl."

"What does Big Bangirl do?" Claire asked.

"Whenever its controller gains Life Points, the opponent loses 500 Life Points."

"I get it! With Blessing of God out, the General will gain 500 Life Points each turn, and Hope will lose 500 Life Points in addition! How cheesy is that?" Claire murmured. 

"With luck, he will only get to do it once," Rue reassured. "While Big Bangirl has a good effect, her stats are pitiful."

"That's true…"

"What surprises me is that Hope knows what it does," Will commented. "She just started, so she usually needs to ask what certain cards do."

Hope: 8000

General: 7500

"I will lay one card down and end my turn…"

"I draw. I gain 500 Life Points, and you lose 500 as well."

Hope: 7500

General: 8000

"I will activate my trap card, Drug Reaction!"

"Oh great…" Hope snarled. "A Drug Reaction and Big Bangirl deck. Blast it!"

"Drug Reaction? Huh?" Brandi wondered.

"Whenever Hope gains Life Points, she will lose them instead. Like… let's say she played a Red Potion. Instead of gaining 500 Life Point, like usual, she would lose 500 instead," Will explained. "It is a pain to have your opponent use that when you have a Blessing of God out, let me tell you."

"But what good will that do against Hope?" Claire inquired. "I mean, she doesn't even use recovery cards, right?"

"That's true," Hope confirmed. "I don't have any recovery cards. That doesn't mean that my opponent won't though."

"Say… what?" Claire gave the General a confused look.

"As you can see, Hope has had some experience with this type of deck," the General said. "She is right; I can force her to recover with some cards. My Blessed Rain is a good example! It raises both of our Life Points by 1000. However, with Drug Reaction, Hope will lose those Life Points instead. Also, since I gained Life Points, my Big Bangirl's effect activates!"

Hope: 6000 

General: 9000

"I'm not done either. I also play Rich Goblin! I draw one card, and you gain 1000 Life Points. Wait, did I say gain? I mean lose!"

Hope: 5000

General: 9000

"So there is a use for Rich Goblin," Claire realized. "I always wondered why it was restricted to one…"

"Now I lay two cards face down, and summon White Magician Pikeru! (1200/0) I switch Big Bangirl to defense mode, and end my turn. And when you draw, I activate my trap; Eye of Truth! You have to show me your hand. If you have a magic card in it on your standby phase, you would gain 1000 Life Points."

Hope drew, and then showed her opponent her hand. "I have Warrior's Return, Calling Reinforcements, The Fused Weapon; Murasame Blade, Iron Knight: Gear Freed, and Blade Knight."

Hope: 4000

General: 9000

"I summon Iron Knight: Gear Freed and attack your Big Bangirl!"

"I activate Gravity Bind! Now no monster above level three can attack!"

"Argh… I lay three cards down, ending my turn."

"Trying to avoid my Eye of Truth? That will lead to disaster. First I gain 500 Life Points from my Blessing of God, then I gain 800 more."

"How?" Hope then remembered the monster the General had summoned. "Oh yeah… your White Magician Pikeru! She gives you 400 Life Points on your standby phase for each monster you have. Since you have her and Big Bangirl… that's 800 Life Points…"

Hope: 3000

General: 10300

"Now I activate Harpy's Feather Sweep! There go all of your magics!"

"Nice try, but I activate Imperial Decree!" 

"So you were ready… I switch White Magician Pikeru to defense mode, and end my turn."

Hope drew, and sighed in relief. "I drew Magic Cylinder, so your Eye of Truth will not affect me. Now, I activate Calling Reinforcements! I search my deck for Falcon Knight, and summon it! (1000/700) I equip him with my face down Murasame Blade, raising his attack by 800! (1800/700) And because he is only level three, he has the ability to attack; twice for that matter! Go Falcon Knight! Attack twice, eliminating both monsters! Then I lay one card down."

"Alright, you get away with that. Now it's my turn. I draw, and get 500 Life Points."

Hope: 3000

General: 10800

"I play one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

Hope drew slowly, and nodded slowly. "I drew Lightning Blade."

Hope: 2000

General: 10800

"Falcon Knight, attack the defense monster!"

"You attacked my Burning Weeds. (500/1500) When this monster goes to the Cemetery, you gain 1000 Life Points."

"But with Drug Reaction out… dang it! Falcon Knight, attack directly! Then I lay one card down."

Hope: 1000

General: 9000

"I draw… and set one monster. It's your turn."

Hope: 1000

General: 9500

_If I draw a magic card, I lose!_ Hope drew cautiously, and grinned. "I drew Initiate Troops! I summon them, and then sacrifice them to kill your defense monster!"

"My Quick Squirrel…"

"Now, Falcon Knight attacks twice!"

Hope: 1000

General: 5900

"I draw… and lay one card down…"

Hope: 1000

General: 6400

"I draw… and it is my Goblin Strike Team! I activate Warrior's Return to get back my Initiate Troops, and summon them as well! (1000/1000) I equip them with Lightning Blade! (1800/1000) Now Initiate Troops attacks!"

"I activate Drain Shield! Your attack is negated, and I gain that many Life Points!"

"I attack twice with Falcon Knight! Then I end…"

"And I draw."

Hope: 1000

General: 3300

"I play Jar of Greed, drawing two cards. Then I play Black Hole. That ends my turn."

"I drew Surprising Matasa! I summon him! (1300/800) He too can attack twice, so I do so!"

Hope: 1000

General: 700

"This is growing irritating. I draw…"

Hope: 1000

General: 1200

"The duel is almost over," Hope declared. "Are you even going to tell us who you are?"

The General shrugged. "Maybe. You will have to beat me first though… an impossible feat now. I drew the card of your destruction. I first play Black Hole, eliminating your loyal soldier. Now, I summon White Magician Pikeru! (1200/0) Unfortunately for you, her level is only two. So she is strong enough to finish you off easily! White Magician Pikeru, direct attack!"

The magician released a wave of light magic. It rushed toward Hope, but was suddenly blocked by a cylinder.

"I activate Magic Cylinder! The target of the attack… is now you! And it is just enough to wipe you out!" Another cylinder appeared, and the energy blasted back at the General.

"So… you are the winner of the duel. But in truth, I won."

Hope glared. "What are you talking about?"

"You want to know who you have killed?" The General snickered. "Fine then… you can see her… one last time!" Then the cloak was flung off.

Hope gasped in horror at who was in front of her. A girl, with long, dark brown hair, soft brown eyes, wearing a casual green t-shirt and blue jeans faced her. Her smile was sickening, and her eyes blank. Yet Hope swore that for less than a second, she saw something… a sad look in her opponent's eyes… just briefly…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hope screamed. "Stop the attack! Now! STOP THE ATTACK!"

"It's too late…" the girl said, in a monotone voice. "You cannot stop a trap once it has been activated. So you see now, Hope? You have just killed one of the most important people in your life."

Then the blast consumed the girl. It faded away, leaving just one thing. A card fluttered to the ground, somehow escaping the explosion. A card torn in half.

Hope's cry of pain and sorrow echoed throughout the entire area.

"AMY!!!"

To be continued…


	34. Delays

This chapter is a very short filler duel, probably the last one you guys will get for the rest of this fic. I felt that I needed to give these guys more of a spotlight. 

***Chapter 34: Delays***

Sarius was at the shore, feeling very disgusted at himself. He had been too late to cut off the group of duelists, and they had already left on a Ship to the Sunset ten minutes earlier.

"We could follow them…" he muttered. "Hm… should we pursue them? What do you think?"

The Child was, like usual, at Sarius' side. Even when alone, he was usually quiet. Now though, he felt the need to say something. "Iya, Tirran-sama."

"No, huh… ah, of course. Beyond here are lands of ice and snow. I keep forgetting that you refuse to even step into an area that is cold."

"Hai."

Sarius shrugged. "No big deal. We can wait for them to come back. I doubt they will be logging out anyway, so they will have to come back."

"Hai, Tirran-sama."

Raid suddenly snarled. 

"What's the matter?"

Raid growled again, this time indicating with his head at someone walking towards them. A person wearing a black cloak.

"Another General of Hell eh?" Sarius sighed. "Hopefully this will be more challenging then that other worthless goon. Magnet Warrior decks can be good, but that guy just banished all thoughts of me using one."

While he was pondering, the General came closer, until he was a few yards away, wisely avoiding Raid. 

"Call your Soul Monster off. I wish to talk."

Raid snarled viciously. 

"That's enough Raid. Well, make it quick, I don't have all day."

"Neither do I." The General took off the hood of his cloak. Sarius could see his dark brown hair, but that was all. His face was covered with a mask otherwise. It was pitch black, with a red symbol painted on the right cheek. The man's green right eye was uncovered, but the red left eye was painted on the mask.

The Soul Monster that was next to him was a horrifying sight to behold. It has no face that could be seen, and carried a gruesome red staff. There were face-like symbols all over its body, and bone-like structures emerged from its legs. Its arms and legs were in the position of a humans, but no person had such a vicious, long, spiked tail.

"Since we are both busy men, I will be brief. I am Kasm, and my Soul Monster is a Masked Hellraiser, but you can call him Marl. I have been sent to destroy any duelists I meet. Therefore, I will need to duel you. No Life Point conditions, but the loser will die."

"Figures… fine then, I have some time to kill." 

Sarius: 8000

Kasm: 8000

"If you do not mind, I will go first," Kasm announced. "And I will use Kasm's ability. If I draw a card with "Mask" in its name, I can draw an extra card. I draw now… and I drew Mask of Weakness. That's one extra card for me. Now, I lay one monster in defense mode, and three cards down. It's your turn."

"I summon Blade Knight. For your information, Raid's ability raises all of my Light and Dark monster's stats by 500 points. (2100/1500) Attack the defense monster!"

"I activate two Mask of Weaknesses. Your monster loses 700 attack power for each until the end of the turn. (700/1500) You also ran into my Melkid Four-Faced Beast. (1500/1200)"

Sarius: 7500

Kasm: 8000

"Fine then… I will lay one additional card."

"I will not risk Marl's effect. You see, if I used his effect and did not draw a card that fit the conditions, then I would not be allowed to use it for the rest of the duel." He drew, and swore. "Should have used it… I summon Sonic Bird. (1400/1000) When summoned, I am allowed to search for one Ritual card from my deck, and add it to my hand. Now I activate it, my Ritual of the Masked Hellraiser!"

"I already know what that does, so don't bother explaining. I will just activate my trap card, Curse of Magic-Sealing. By discarding one card in my hand-my Executioner Makyura in this case-I negate your magic card, and you cannot play any other card with that name for the rest of the duel."

"Damn you! That was one of my most important strategies… but at least you are wide open for an attack. I equip my Sonic Bird with Mask of Atrocities. That raises its attack by 1000, and lowers its defense by the same amount! (2400/0) I also switch my Melkid to attack. Sonic Bird destroys Blade Knight, and Melkid attacks you!"

Sarius: 5700

Kasm: 8000

"Pathetic… I lay summon Magical Reflector Reflect Bounder. (2200/1500) He will attack your Melkid."

"I chain with Magic Cylinder!"

Sarius: 3500

Kasm: 8000

"Hm… I lay one card down, then end."

"I will use Marl's effect… good! I drew Masked Beast Death Guardius, so I draw again. Now, I would have to pay 1000 Life Points to keep Mask of Atrocities out, but I won't. Now, I sacrifice Sonic Bird and Melkid to special summon Death Guardius! (3300/2500) I attack your monster with him!"

"Moron… when Reflect Bounder is attacked, you lose Life Points to the amount of attack that your monster has!"

Sarius: 2400

Kasm: 4700

"What?! DAMN IT ALL! I lay one monster in defense mode!"

"That won't do you much good. I remove Executioner Makyura and Blade Knight from the game to special summon Chaos Soldier-Messenger of Creation! (3500/3000) He will slaughter your defense monster!"

"My Senju God didn't stand a chance… (1400/1000)"

"I will also activate my monster's special ability. Since he destroyed a monster, he can attack again!"

Sarius: 2400

Kasm: 1200

"I will activate Marl's ability… I drew Jar of Greed. While I do lose his effect for the rest of the duel, it does not matter! I play Jar of Greed, then Thunderbolt, eliminating your monster! Then I summon Cursed Gyura! (1500/1200)"

"I will activate Tidal Wave, destroying your monster."

"No! I end…"

Sarius smirked. "I congratulate you on making me lose this many Life Points, but this duel is over. I summon Mad Dog of Darkness, and attack you directly. (2400/1900)"

Sarius: 2400

Kasm: 0

The Mad Dog of Darkness, instead of instantly disappearing, ran up to Marl and jumped on it, slashing and biting, until the Soul Monster faded away. Then it leapt onto the paralyzed Kasm swiping the mask away, and sinking its oversized fangs into him, immediately breaking his neck. Then the monster vanished, leaving the man lying in a pool of his own blood.

Sarius caught a glimpse of the General's face. It had countless scars on it, too horrifying to describe.

"So, he wore that mask for a reason… it's too late to ask why though." Sarius looked up at the position of the sun. "That took longer than I thought. Child, let's go. We will need to catch up with those guys soon."

"Hai, Tirran-sama."

They walked away, leaving the corpse of Kasm behind.

*****

Pain… blood… torture… it was all that was in store for them.

He lay against the glass cylinder he was confined in, too weak to rise. Blood dripped slowly from his back, arms, and legs. His breath came out in small, painful gasps as he tried to ignore the wounds. They would fade with time. They always did.

As difficult as it was to forget about the wounds, it was much harder to block out the screams of pain that he heard from the other room. It hurt him much, much more than any cut that could be inflicted upon him. He would have done anything to put an end to the suffering she endured, but knew that he was helpless to do so. The only way he could help her was to stay alive… to be the only thing that kept her spirit from breaking completely, although it was too close for comfort. 

He kept telling her that they would get away from it all, someday… escape from hell, for that was what they were in.

But could he keep that promise?

He clenched his fist, disregarding the cuts his sharp fingernails inflicted, as he heard another sharp cry.

_Someday… someday… someday we will be free…_

To be continued…


	35. Revival

Two in one day?! RECORD! _

***Chapter 35: Revival***

Hope kneeled down in front of the torn card. With shaky hands, she attempted to connect the two parts. She soon gave up though, letting them float to the ground. Countless tears fell from her eyes, and she made no attempt to wipe them away.

Rue's hands shook with anger. He could imagine the pain that Hope was going through. If he had killed Claire, he would have never gotten over it. He knew that full well.

Claire could not stop a few stray tears in time.  

Will was an only child. He had no idea on what Hope was going through, but knew that it was very heartbreaking, and he didn't know how to console her.

Brandi was shocked at the levels the Generals of Hell had sunk to. The cruelty would probably be too much for Hope to handle, and Brandi knew that no words she could say would assist.

Max didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort Hope, but was unsure if she wanted the help now.

After a few minutes of silence, other than Hope's sobs and the fierce winds, Gaston walked up to her. Nobody made any move to stop him as he walked over to Hope, and kneeled down beside her.

"Hey, Hope… we need to leave this place."

Hope just kept staring at the card halves lying on the ground.

"Please listen to me… I know that losing your sister must be hard. If I had lost you in this way, I would be having the same reaction you are now. But we must think sensibly. The longer we stay here, the more difficult it will be to leave. It is growing steadily colder, and we will probably freeze. Just look at Brandi-she's wearing short sleeves, and not even suitable shoes. Also, this area will only remind you of what happened. Time heals all wounds... the flesh will heal, even though your heart will have scars so that you never forget. You must not try to block out what happened-that will leave you feeling more depressed then before. Accept what happened, then attempt to move on."

Hope shook her head slowly. "I've known… her… all my life. We loved… each other… how could I not shed tears for her? How could I… not feel disgusted with myself… for…" She broke off, sobbing again.

"You are right to cry… that shows that you care for her. And it is not your fault for her death… not at all! You didn't know! It is all that General's fault. For what he did… he will pay. You must continue on, to stop him from doing this to anyone else. Please Hope… let's leave. If not for yourself, then for your friends."

Hope picked up the card halves again, and just nodded, not speaking. Gaston picked her up, and rose. He turned to the others, and asked Max, "Do you have another Ship to the Sunset handy?"

"…Yes."

"Then we should go."

"I agree," Brandi shivered. "I'm going to die in this kind of weather soon!"

*****

"Are you willing to die for this?"

"Yes sir… I willingly offer my life." Nas stepped forward, in a plain, black robe, his light brown hair and same-color eyes standing out in the dark room.

"Very well…" The man stepped forward, and offered a sharpened dagger to Nas. The General drove the dagger into his own heart. Nas fell forward without a sound, wearing a calm expression.

"Here me, Lord of Hell! Take this man's soul, and feast upon it! To have it though, please release the one I request!" 

Nas' body began to change, slowly, but surely, while the other man laughed…

*****

The walk back to the boat was made without a sound. Hope had a faraway look in her eyes, and she kept staring at the card pieces. She had stopped crying, but nobody was sure which reaction was worse.

Max called forth the Ship to the Sunset again, and they began to paddle back to land. Hope didn't make any effort to try and help, but they hadn't expected her to.

Gaston looked at the card halves she held, and groaned. "Now I see…"

"What's wrong?" Rue asked.

"Amy's Soul Monster was Big Bangirl. The General must have ripped her card, which killed her… that would take out a vital protection of her soul… making it easier to have her possessed."

Claire jumped as Rue's paddle snapped. He had applied too much pressure to it due to anger.

Max threw him a spare paddle. "Please be more careful."

Rue nodded absentmindedly, and continued to work, his eyes still slightly red.

*****

"It is going according to plan… her spirit has shattered." The figure grasped his head. "At a high price though… I'm much too weak to do anything now." He turned to another man. "Is he ready?"

"Yes sir. I will dispatch him immediately. It is sure to work…"

"Good. I expect no less."  
*****

The ship soon arrived at the dock. They all got off, and it vanished, Hope being helped by Gaston again. She still seemed too depressed to say anything.

"Ugh! What on earth?!" Brandi choked.

Claire gagged at the sight of the corpse on bank. It was a man wearing a black cloak. His brown hair moved with the wind. His sightless green left eye stared at nothing, and the rest of his face was heavily scarred. A broken mask lay by him, and his neck was broken, his windpipe torn. Blood stained the once-clean grass.

"Ugh… it looks like someone else got to the General," Neo grimaced.

Mana covered her eyes. "I can't stand this slaughter! When will it end?"

"Not soon enough," Will said mournfully. "All we can do is take it in stride."

"Let us move away from this body, and try to think of a plan later," Neo suggested.

"A serious comment from Neo? I'm sure pigs will soon fly," Perseus said dryly.

"This isn't a time for joking," Claire broke in. "I agree with him; we must distance ourselves."

They walked along the lake shore silently. Most of them were too absorbed in their thoughts to look, but Ruecian and Olympion kept watch. That was why Olympion was the first to see the approaching figure. He snarled viciously, causing everyone to look up.

A person in a black cloak was approaching them. All of the General's features were hidden. The person was soon close enough to converse.

"So you are the ones I am assigned to slay?"

Brandi looked at the figure in alarm. "That voice… it sounds familiar almost."

Hope looked on dully as Max reached for his katana. "So you are a General?"

"I have been told to kill all of you…"

Rue's battle axe was bared in less than a second. "Come one step closer and you will wish you had never been born."

"Calm down Rue," Max said calmly. "Try to duel and you will make a foolish error; this I can see. General, I will be the one to bring you down. Prepare yourself!" He readied his Duel Disk.

"Sure, I accept." The other man got his Duel Disk ready as well.

"What's going on?!" Claire exclaimed. "This man doesn't have a Soul Monster either!"

"Weird… is it another possessed person maybe?" Will commented.

"It can't be… his voice is nothing like Amy's was," Brandi pointed out.

"True," Gaston agreed. "So why does he lack a Soul Monster then?"

Max: 8000

General: 8000

"I will go first," Max decided. "I draw, and it is my Cursed Gyura. That means that Olympion's effect kicks in; he does 500 Life Point damage to you, and I draw again."

Max: 8000

General: 7500

"Now I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card down."

"I draw, and lay one monster in defense mode. I also lay two cards down. I'm done."

"Hm…" Max looked at his draw, and shook his head. "That won't do… I summon Cursed Gyura! (1500/1200) Attack the defense monster!"

"You attacked my Death Kangaroo. (1500/1700) When this monster is attacked by a monster with a lower attack then its defense, your monster is destroyed."

Max: 7800

General: 7500

"Not good… I end."

"This will do well. I lay another monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"I summon Demon Soldier! (1900/1000) Attack the Death Kangaroo!"

"Very well. After your attack, I activate Cry of the Living Dead, reviving Death Kangaroo."

"That seems like a waste… it's your turn."

"But it isn't. I sacrifice my Death Kangaroo and face down Blood Vors (1900/1200) to summon the Millennium Neanderthal! (2750/2500)"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"Just watch! I play Thunderbolt, wiping out your monsters!"

"You killed my Demon Soldier and Nyudoryua…"

"Now, I play Wild Burst! I can use this on any Animal or Animal Warrior that I desire. Its defense is added to its attack for the turn. Of course, that monster dies at the end of the turn, but that is a small price to pay. (5250/2500) Now, attack directly!"

"DAMN IT!" Max snarled as he was hit by the fierce attack.

Max: 2550

General: 7500

"Not… good…" Max groaned.

"Don't give up!" Brandi shouted. "You can beat this guy Max!"

The General suddenly seemed to stare more intensly. "MAX?! That name…"

"Huh?" Brandi looked over at the man. "Alright, enough secrecy. Who are you?"

The man threw off the cloak that covered him. He wore a black shirt and black pants, with a blue vest. His white hair seemed to tilt to the left side, and his brown eyes had a tired look to them. However, he seemed alert all of a sudden.

Brandi gasped. Max was too shocked to do anything for a full ten seconds, which seemed to stretch into hours. Then he whispered, "Dad?"

The man smiled sadly. "Yes. I now remember…"

"What's going on?" Rue asked. "Max's… dad? What? Isn't he… dead?"

Brandi nodded slowly. "Yes… he is. How? How are you alive?! What's going on?!"

Max's dad looked over at the spectators. "You can call me Randall. I was… revived by the enemy. The Generals of Hell is what they call themselves. They… preformed a ritual of sorts… sacrificing one of their own to summon my soul from the dead."

"Why help them?" Will inquired. 

"I cannot help it… on the back of my head is a talisman. It keeps my body under their control."

"Then… why not just take it off?" Brandi suggested. "Can we somehow remove it?"

"No! Do not approach, or else it will go off, killing all in range!"

"How cheap is that?" Neo growled. "So it's either Max dying, Randall dying, or all of us dying."

"Pretty much," Randall agreed. "But I would prefer it being me to die. Max, you must win, and kill me."

"What?! After all this time, I have wanted you to come back, and now I have to be the one to kill you? Forget it!" Max yelled.

"Max… I know this will be hard for you. But I was dead. I should rightfully still be dead. It is only right that you kill me, and continue to help your friends. You have a full life ahead of you."

"…Still…!"

"There must be another way!" Brandi cried.

"There isn't. I end my turn, destroying my monster. Max, you must defeat me! As much as I want to, I cannot go easy on you!"

"I-I can't…!"

"Do what your dad says."

Everyone stared in astonishment at Hope. For the first time in that long period of hours passed, she had spoken.

"What?" Max turned to her.

"Max… he's your dad. He's the one who made it possible for you to live. Why do you think he died in the first place? To protect you, and your family! Why do you think he is begging for you to put aside his suffering now? Because he wants you to live! Even if he lives, he will never forgive himself for letting you die! Max, defeat him. Finish the duel, and put his soul to rest."

"…" Max turned back to his dad, and drew. "I draw… my Great Demon Gaazetto… I draw again… my Newt… and again… that's all…"

Max: 2550

Randall: 6500 

Max looked at his hand. "I can't…"

"You must."

"But…"

"I can tell you have a winning card Max! Now play it!"

Max looked his father in the eyes. "…I am only doing this because I must. I play Raise Dead on your Millennium Neanderthal! Then I sacrifice it, for the Great Demon Gaazetto! (5500/5000) Attack directly!"

"I play Magic Cylinders… that wipes out your Life Points…"

"I chain with Bandit's Swiss Army Knife! I lose 1000 Life Points, but negate your trap!  
Max: 1550

Randall: 1000

"I… lay one monster in defense mode."

Max looked at his next card mournfully. "That's it then… but…"

"Do not hesitate!"

"…"

"If you love me, you will do this."

That convinced him. Although Max wasn't sure if it was right, he knew he had to do it. "I'm so sorry…" He tried to hold back tears. "I summon Newt. I equip him with the Mask of Atrocities. (2900/0) I know your deck too well… nothing in it can withstand this. Attack with Newt!"

"You are right… my Soul Tiger is destroyed… (0/2100)"

"Then…" Max gritted his teeth. "Attack directly… with Great Demon Gaazetto!"

Max: 1550

Randall: 0

Randall nodded. "You did rightly… thank you. Now I must leave you… again. Forgive me."

Max couldn't speak. He tried, but couldn't.

That was when a light came from the sky. It consumed Randall. He smiled one last time before it became too bright to see. When they managed to look again, he was gone.

Everyone was quiet, listening to Brandi's sobs and seeing Max crying silently.

To be continued…


	36. Thoughts

A chapter without a duel? Yep. Don't worry though-the next chapter will have more dueling. Serious duels. Dun dun dun… _

***Chapter 36: Thoughts***

"You have failed me."

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this!" the man growled. "An error must have occurred! Damn him!"

"So what do you suggest now? I still need some time to regain my strength…"

"I have another plan. This one is sure to work."

"Hm… so you say. Not many get a second chance to redeem themselves; make sure you do not fail."

"I will succeed for sure."

"If you fail, you know the consequences."

"I have known them all along, and I am not backing down. Either way, it brings us another step closer to the end…"

"True. Very well; go forth."

"Yes sir."

*****

Max didn't make a sound as he knelt down, tears escaping his closed eyelids. Brandi wasn't fairing much better; she wiped away what she could, but missed quite a few.

Mana indicated to an area on the bank a few yards away. Understanding her meaning, the rest of the group silently moved away, leaving Max and Brandi alone. 

Once they arrived in the designated spot, Rue drove his axe into the ground with a snarl. "That's it! Once was bad enough, but they've crossed the line with this!"

"I agree," Will nodded. "This has gone on long enough. We must strike down the rest of the Generals. Or even better, kill the one who is causing this. The leader, if you want to call him that."

"We don't even know where to find him," Claire reminded them. "But if we can somehow discover where he is, then that is a good idea."

"We can't make any decisions yet…" Hope said. "We must wait for Max and Brandi."

"True… by the way, are you feeling better?" Rue asked.

"Somewhat. I must act strong now. Max and Brandi will need it."

"Good point," Neo agreed.

*****

_Another death… I've caused another death…_Max thought. _When… when will it end? When will I be free from this guilt?_

"Max…" Brandi walked over to him, and hugged him fiercely. "It'll be ok…"

"You are trying to convince yourself… as much as you are trying to convince me…"

"That may be true… but Max, he wanted it this way. We must remember that. It's not your fault… blame that General. Blame the one who came up with that sick idea. Knowing how they work, our father probably would have died in the end anyway…"

"Brandi… why do we continue to live on? Why not just end it all?"

Brandi had to use all of her willpower to not begin crying again.

"Because our father wants us to live… to experience happiness. If we must die… let us do it while defending the world from these spawns of hell."

Max got up, now dry eyed. "If it must be that way, then so be it."

*****

"There they are!" Gaston said. "Hey guys, over here!"

Max and Brandi walked over to the others in the group. 

"We are alright now," Brandi assured before anyone could ask. "We will make the one who did this pay."

"That's a great idea, but we have no way to go about it," Perseus pointed out. "Who knows where he is?"

"We do."

They spun around to see Sarius. Raid, Cyrus, and the Child were also with him.

"You are looking to find the leader of the Generals of Hell?"

"That's right," Hope replied. "Where is he?"

"You will not be able to access him immediately. You will have to go through his most trusted duelists, and they will not be easy to pass. After getting through them, you should find him. Be sure to kill him as quickly as possible; we cannot let the ritual succeed."

"How do we find these guys?" Will inquired.

"It will be tricky. To access the General's dueling arena, you must wait until the day has ended, and is being reborn. Then you look to the lake. If you are one of their members, you are to be allowed in. Then it is a matter of whether your skills are as good as you boast."

"Say what? Must you always talk in riddles?!" Rue complained.

"You will understand soon enough… now, if you will excuse me, I have some business to take care of." Sarius calmly walked off, his companions following.

"What did he mean?" Neo asked. "I'm confused."

"That's new?" Gaston joked.

"Hey!"

"It's obvious enough," Will interrupted. "When the day dies, and is reborn, is midnight. That's literally the beginning of a new day. The lake part is easy to understand. But apparently, only one of the Generals can enter. That kind of ends any ideas of finding them."

"So that's it? We have to give up because of their stupid rules?!" Max snarled.

"…Maybe not," Hope said.

Everyone turned to her. 

"What do you mean?" Claire inquired.

"Look at this!" Hope reached into her backpack, and brought out a black cloak, and an orb of fire.

"How on earth did you acquire those?" Brandi asked.

"Remember when I found Zenith's diary at his house? Well, I found these too. I took them, thinking they might come in handy."

"It's a good thing you did," Rue said. "Now we should be able to get into this area of theirs easily!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Will disagreed. "How do we know if this disguise will fool them?"

"We have nothing better to try," Gaston commented. "So why not?"

"I second that!" Rue declared. "All in favor, say I!"

"I!" everyone shouted, except Ruecian, Olympion, and Neo. Ruecian just nodded. Olympion said it telepathically. Neo responded by saying, "Q!"

"Wise guy," Will grumbled, bashing Neo with his book yet again.

"So let's find a good place to stay, and wait for midnight to come," Hope suggested. "We need rest anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Claire said. "Anyone know a good location?"

"I do… just follow me," Max said.

*****

By the time they got to the little hill overlooking the lake, the sun was beginning to set. The water looked like it was on fire as the rays of light began to slowly, but surely, vanish. There was a slight breeze, throwing some cool air to make it a perfect temperature.

Hope couldn't remember the last time she had seen such beauty. It took her breath away. Distantly, she recalled Rue advising her to see the lake when it was sunset. Now she knew why he had told her that.

Everyone else was watching it as well, all immersed in their own thoughts.

_So the final battle will come…am I ready?_ Hope wondered. _No, I am not. But I must fight anyway… for Amy. And for the other people of this world. I cannot let anyone else suffer like we have._

Gaston looked at the sky, and could not recall a moment this peaceful that he had ever experienced in his short life. _I am unskilled, and I am not sure if I can help. But I must try. I must try, to the best of my ability, to assist my friends in any way I can. Isn't that why I was created? To serve Hope? I have no other reason to live. And I won't fail that purpose. I will never leave her... I will never abandon her… no matter what happens._

Rue remembered the first time he had been to this lake. _I was new to this world, as was Claire. The first day we entered Teknisk Wereld, we came here. It's… magical, that's the word for it. It still is… I can feel all of my fear leave me. But what am I more scared of? The battles that are to come, or of myself? I have kept changing violently… my biggest fear is to lose all of my soul. To be devoured by this murderous monster inside of me. All I can do is hope that I will not be consumed by hatred…_

Ruecian looked over at Rue. All the time that Ruecian had known his master, he had hardly spoken any words, and he saw no reason to do so now. He knew that Rue knew that he would always back him up. Even if Rue became a monster, Ruecian would be prepared to help.

Claire was worried as well. _Rue's other side is taking over him… will these battles prove to be too much for him to handle? He might lose focus on himself… and accidentally release… no, I can't think like that. I will pray that such a thing will not happen… especially now._

Perseus mentally sighed. _What happens will happen. We cannot change the past, but we can affect the future._

Max thought over what had happened. _Again, I have killed someone. When will we find peace? When can I learn to forgive myself? Probably never. But Brandi is right… if I am going to die, I might as well die doing something noble. If I even have the honor of doing that._

Olympion knew what his duty was. As long as he could assist Max, he was serving his purpose.

Brandi lay back, looking into the sky, ignoring how irritated her eyes were at the bright light. _It's time. Whether I want to back out or not, it is now too late to quit. I came into this by free will, and I will not give up now._

Mana clutched her staff tightly. _I may not know what the right thing to do is, but I know that I will not give up… not after all that has happened._

Will just looked on. _This isn't a story, where everything turns out ok. We could very possibly die… and I am scared of death. I do not mind admitting that. But regardless, I will fight._

Even Neo was acting serious. _There are many things I do not understand. I know this too well-Will  keeps reminding me of when I'm being an idiot. This time though, I must act as serious as I possibly can. This is no time for joking... we will have to fight, and we must be the winners. No matter what the cost._

The last ray of light finally vanished. Max got up to start a fire. Everyone else prepared to sleep, except for Will. He got out Loamhedge. _If I'm going to die, I'm going to at least finish my book first!_

*****

Sarius looked around the forest, cursing quietly.

"No sign of him… Raid, you cannot detect anything?"

Raid shook his head.

"Damn it. Where in the world could he be…?" His eyes suddenly widened. "No. Oh God NO. He had better not have… DAMN HIM!" He turned to his companions. "Change of plans guys. We're going back to the lake."

*****

Will shut his book, satisfied that he had finished it. 

"Just as good as any other Redwall book. Gotta love Brian Jacques' books." He brought out a watch that Hope had lent him to keep track of time, and sighed in relief. "It's 11:45… good. Time to get ready." He slammed Neo over the head with his book.

"OW! What was that for?"

"You sleep like a rock, you know that? Now help me wake everyone else up."

After a few minutes, everyone was up, and they were at the edge of the lake. It now looked cold and forbidding.

"So what do we have to do?" Rue asked.

Hope had put on the cloak, covering herself up completely, except her head. Around her neck was the fiery orb.

"Wait for midnight, I guess."

Will looked at the watch. "It's 11:59. Last chance to back out."

"I doubt that any of us will leave after all that has happened," Max pointed out.

"True. Ok, it's ten seconds away…"

Suddenly, the orb of fire around Hope's neck began to shine very vividly. The light was cast upon the lake, and the water seemed to be torn apart. A pit of darkness was shown by the orb.

"So that's all we had to do?" Rue said. "Pretty easy. Shall we go?"

Max stepped forward. "I will go first. Wait for me to call to you before coming down." Then he leapt. They soon lost sight of him.

"So what's keeping him?" Will asked as he looked at the watch again. It had been twenty seconds.

"We can't wait for him. Just look!" Brandi pointed at the pit. It was beginning to close.

"No time to waste!" Rue declared. "Geronimo!" He leapt into the pit, everyone following. Neo barely had time to trip in before it sealed up.

What they did not notice was the pitch-black cat staring after them with its red eyes. 

To be continued…


	37. Master of Darkness

Now the serious duels begin! 

***Chapter 37: Master of Darkness***

Hope opened her eyes slowly. The last thing she could remember was falling into the pit of black, and then nothing.

She blinked, and sat up. All around her was darkness. There was nothing but darkness all around her. She couldn't see anything but darkness. Somehow though, she could see around. It didn't seem to cloud her vision, for she could see her hands fairly well. Blackness intertwined her fingers, slipping away as quickly as it had come. She looked, and realized that there was no floor either. She was sitting on what seemed to be as unstable as anything else, yet it was solid. It was almost like the area that they had seen Alene in. However, that area would have seemed warm and friendly compared to this place. The darkness seemed cold, and frightening. 

Hope looked around, and was relieved to see everyone else was there as well, although they were all knocked out.

Max moaned, and began to regain consciousness. Hope walked over to him. "Are you ok?"

He nodded. "What is this place?"

"I'm not sure… it seems like we are trapped in darkness itself. The pit closed behind us as we jumped in. We would have waited for you, but since it was beginning to be covered, we didn't want to wait around."

"I see. Are the others alright?"

"Yep, I'm ok," Will said, rising. "Must have been a long drop."

"Indeed," Rue agreed.

"No problem here," Claire assured.

"If I'm not dreaming, then I'm fine," Brandi finished.

The Soul Monsters were awake as well.

"This place gives me the creeps…" Rue shuddered. "Hey Max, do you have a Dark Piercing Light handy?"

"I should…" Max reached for his pocket, and shook his head. "That's weird… my cards are gone."

"What?" Hope looked around. "Now that you mention it, my backpack isn't here…"

"It looks like we lost everything we had in the drop," Will noted. "Except for our Duel Disks, decks, and weapons. Is that the same for everyone else?"

"Yeah. I even lost that orb of fire," Hope replied. "Not like I'm going to miss it, but still."

"So we will have to make our way without support cards… joy," Brandi said sarcastically.

"Neo, can you light this place up?" Will inquired.

Neo concentrated for a few minutes, then shook his head. "It's no good… something is preventing me from using that power."

"So what should we do?" Claire pondered.

"Standing around here won't accomplish anything," Max pointed out. "Let's get moving."

They followed Max into the darkness. It seemed like hours passed, but none of them could know for sure. They just kept walking, noticing no change in the scenery.

After a long time, Olympion snarled. 

_A great evil approaches._

"What?" They looked around quickly.

"Over there!" Brandi indicated.

A man was walking up to them slowly. He wore a black, long sleeved t-shirt, black jeans, black shoes, and a long, black cape. His short hair was jet-black, but it was his eyes that caught your attention. They were a deep and menacing purple that seemed to have been born from hell itself. They spoke of death just by looking into them. 

Strapped to his back was a long, big, and black sword. There were red grooves carved into it on the blade. Some of them had a few spots in it that were not completely cleaned. Hope immediately realized that they were made to let blood run through, and felt sickened.

Even his Duel Disk reeked of evil. It was the same model that the group carried around, but instead of being white, is was black. The field for placing monsters was a vivid red.

The beast beside him was just as terrifying as his master. He was a big, purple devilish creature. His blood-red cape was draped around his body. He had huge, red wings as well. His clawed hands had strength enough to tear anything. On each of his shoulders was a huge, wicked spike. His left side was covered with a piece of gold armor. In the center of his forehead was a gold jewel, with red in the center. He had wild green hair, and piercing, yellow eyes. 

"Who are you?" Rue asked.

"I am the one who will be your executioner…"

"A General of Hell?" Gaston said doubtfully. "You don't look like one… why no cloak, or orb of fire?"

The figure smirked. "I, be one of them? You think too little of me. I would never join those fools! I work only for my own ambitions. I have simply been ordered to kill you all."

Claire frowned. "Why though? If you don't care about the ritual, why kill us?"

"Because of what I have to gain from it. They have assured me that you are the key I need to killing the one I loathe. Now, enough talk. Who will die at my hand first?"

Looking extremely nervous, but not about to back down, Will stepped up, Neo following him. "I'll be the one to duel you."

"You are forfeiting your life…"

"I will not fall as easily as you think!"

"Oh, but you will… you are not aware of how wrong you are…"

Will: 8000

???: 8000

"If you are so confident that you will win, then I will make the first move! I lay one monster in defense mode, and two cards face down. It's your move!"

"Very well… I draw, and my Soul Monster's effect activates! By paying 500 Life Points when I draw a Dark Main-Type monster, I destroy one monster on your field, regardless of position. I drew Mad Dog of Darkness, so the effect is triggered."

"My Holy Elf…"

Will: 8000

???: 7500

"Now, I summon Mad Dog of Darkness. (1900/1400) He will attack you directly. Then I lay two cards of my own."

Will: 6100

???: 7500

"I summon Magic Warrior: Breaker! I remove his magic counter to destroy the M/T to the left!"

"You destroyed my Torture Wheel…"

"I also activate Black Power Stone, and move one counter from the trap to Breaker. Then I remove that counter to destroy your second card!"

"That was my Imperial Decree."

"I equip Breaker with Power of Magicians, raising his stats by 500 for each magic and trap card on my field. (3100/2500) Now Breaker attacks Mad Dog of Darkness!"

Will: 6100

???: 6300

"I draw… and Zork's ability does not activate… I summon Manju God. (1400/1000) When successfully summoned, he allows me to search my deck for a ritual monster or magic. So I will do so. Then I end."

"I will use Black Power Stone to move a second counter to Breaker. (3400/2500) Then I summon Turner of the Dead: Kaiku. Breaker destroys your Manju God, and Kaiku attacks you directly! I'll also use Kaiku's effect to remove both of your monsters from your Cemetery!"

Will: 6100

???: 2500

"You're doing great Will!" Hope encouraged. "Keep it up!"

"For all of that man's boasts, he's losing horribly…" Rue noticed. 

"You will now see the true strength of my deck. I summon another Manju God! (1400/1000) I get Pact with the Dark Master, and activate it. By sacrificing my Manju God and my Black Forest Witch (1100/1200) from my hand, I can special summon Dark Master-Zork! (2700/1500) Now I use his effect. Once a turn, I roll a die. If I roll a one or two, all of your monsters are destroyed. If it is a three, four, or five, I destroy one of your monsters. If I roll a six, all of my monsters are destroyed. So I will now roll!"

The die clattered on the field, landing on…

"No! A five!"

"I will have my monster destroy your Breaker. Now Zork will attack your Kaiku! Then I lay one card down."

Will: 5200

???: 2500

"This doesn't look good for Will…" Claire said.

"Don't give up on him so easily!" Gaston responded. 

"I lay one card down, and a monster in defense…"

"I will roll for Zork's ability."

And the dice landed on…

"Yes! A six!" Will sighed in relief.

"Don't get comfortable yet! I activate Reverse Dice! Now I can reroll the die!"

This time, it was…

"A two! Dang it! My Royal Magic Librarian…"

"Now I play Cyclone, destroying your face down card."

"My Magic Cylinder… that was my last chance…"

"I summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1200) Both of my monsters attack directly."

Will: 600

???: 2500

Will gritted his teeth as he drew, and smiled. "Maybe I stand a chance… I play Thunderbolt! Then I summon Magician's Valkyria! (1600/1800) Attack directly!"

Will: 600

???: 900

"Now it is all based on luck…" Max said.

"Come on…" Hope whispered. "Please… don't let him draw a Dark Monster… please…"

The man looked at his card, and smirked. "I play Raise Dead on Dark Master-Zork."

"No! Will has no cards to counter that!" Rue realized.

"I have no need to use his effect and risk losing… Zork! Attack his monster!"

Will: 0

???: 900

"I'm sorry… I failed…" Will said softly.

"This can't be!" Hope cried out.

"It is the boy's own fault for choosing to try and defeat me. Nobody will get in the way of my goal…" The man pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Goodbye."

Suddenly, beneath Will, the floor split apart. With a yell of surprise, he and Neo plunged into the depths of the unknown, the floor sealing behind them.

"Will! Neo! NO!" Hope collapsed to the ground. "They can't… THEY CAN'T BE DEAD!"

"It's too late for them…" the man said calmly. "They are long gone."

*****

"This is just a great way to die…" Will muttered sarcastically as he and Neo fell on, with no sign of stopping. "Hey Neo! I'm sorry I had to drag you down with me…"

"There's got to be a way to get out of this place!" Neo shouted back. "Any ideas?"

"Wait… can't you teleport?"

Neo thought for a minute. "I can, but it usually doesn't work. And there is no way I could take you with me…"

"Forget me! You need to teleport out of here!"

"WHAT?!" Neo shook his head. "I can't do that!"

"Yes, you can! There's no way to save me; I know that as a fact, since I lost! But you can live. Do it as a last request from me! Teleport out of this place!"

"But…"

"JUST DO IT!"

Neo slowly nodded. "…If I must… I'm so sorry!" His hands began to glow. He clapped them together, and vanished.

Will looked around, and saw that he was gone. "Good… at least he'll be alright." Then he closed his eyes. "Now I just wait for the end…"

*****

Rue ran over to where they had been, and examined the place where they had been. "No… this can't be real…"

"Will…" Hope tried to hold back her emotions. 

Suddenly, a bright light began to fill the area. After a few seconds, it faded, leaving Neo lying in front of Rue.

"Neo? What the…?!" Mana ran over to him. "Are you alright?"

Neo lifted his head slowly, making no effort to stop the tears running down his face. "No… I failed Will…"

The man began to walk toward them quietly. "I was only ordered to kill the duelists… so I will deal with you later. Now, who will die next?"

That was when another bright light appeared, and quickly faded, leaving Sarius, Raid, the Child, and Cyrus. 

The expression on Sarius' face was a horrible thing to witness. He had cast his eyes upon the group, and seeing that Will was gone, he snarled in anger.

"JUNO! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!"

Juno smirked. "You're a little too late Tirran."

"DAMN YOU TO HELL!" Sarius shouted. "YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME!"

"So, you are the one who wishes to die next?" Juno sneered. "Fine then… prepare yourself for a duel."

To be continued…


	38. Enemies For Eternity

***Chapter 38: Enemies For Eternity***

Sarius prepared his Duel Disk. "You have crossed the line Juno, killing others to simply get to me!"

"I will do anything to get my goals accomplished Tirran. ANYTHING. I thought you were well-aware of that."

"I am, but I did not expect this… you will pay!"

"Then quit boasting, and get ready to fight yet again."

Up until this point, the others had remained silent, Mana still trying to comfort Neo. Rue was growing impatient though.

"What's going on? Do you know this guy Sarius?"

Sarius nodded grimly. "I do. Juno and I are great enemies. You see, his main objective is to end all existence. He got close to succeeding too… but I went to his homeland and defeated him. Ever since his embarrassing defeat, he has been after me, trying to kill me before proceeding with the rest of existence."

"So he wanted to kill us, knowing that you would come to defend us?" Claire asked.

"I assume that is what he wanted."

"Enough stalling… I have waited for this moment for a long time, and I refuse to hesitate any longer!"

"You have wanted to be defeated again? As you wish!"

Sarius: 8000

Juno: 8000

"I think I will take all honor in going first," Juno announced. "I summon Manju God. (1400/1000) I search my deck for a ritual monster or magic. Then I lay one card down. Make your move."

"I draw, and summon Magician's Valkyria! And you already know Raid's ability. (2100/2300) Attack your Manju God!"

"I activate Torture Wheel, halting your monster."

"I lay two cards down, and end my turn…"

"I draw, and you lose 500 Life Points."

Sarius: 7500

Juno: 8000

"Now I play Pact with the Dark Master, sacrificing Manju God and a Mad Dog of Darkness from my hand (1900/1400) to special summon Dark Master-Zork! (2700/1500) Now I will activate his ability!"

The die landed on a three.

"I will have him destroy your monster. Next, I play Tempest, destroying your magic or traps."

"I activate Curse of Magic-Sealing! By discarding Dark World Warrior Dark Sword, I negate your magic card!"

"In that case, I will attack!"

"You ran into my Magic Cylinder! You lose Life Points equal to your monsters attack!"

Sarius: 7500

Juno: 5300

"I am not very concerned… I lay one card down and end my turn."

"I will remove my Magician's Valkyria and Dark World Warrior Dark Sword to special summon Chaos Sorcerer! (2800/2500) I'm well aware that your trap might be something that can stop me from attacking, so I activate his special ability! I can remove one of your face up monsters from the game, so Zork is gone! However, my Sorcerer can't attack the same turn. So I lay one card down, and end my turn."

"A small loss… I draw, and Zork's effect is triggered. You do remember it, don't you? I drew Critter, so I will pay 500 Life Points to destroy your Chaos Sorcerer. Then I summon Critter (1000/600) and attack directly."

Sarius: 6500

Juno: 4800

"Hm… I summon Blade Knight (2100/1500) and attack your Critter!"

"I activate Holy Barrier-Mirror Force. Your Blade Knight is destroyed."

"In that case, I end…"

"I switch Critter to defense mode, and lay one other monster in defense."

"I summon Executioner Makyura. (2100/1700) He will attack your Critter! Then I end."

"I summon Manju God. Then, I play Pact with the Dark Master. I sacrifice Manju God and my face down Black Forest Witch (1100/1200) to special summon Dark Master-Zork. (2700/1500) Now I roll for his effect."

The die landed on a one.

"Your Executioner Makyura is destroyed. Now, Zork will attack directly. Then I lay one card down." 

Sarius: 3800

Juno: 4800

"Don't think you have won yet! I play Distressing Choice! The five cards you will need to pick from are Mad Dog of Darkness, another Mad Dog of Darkness, Magic Reflector Reflect Bounder, Dark World Warrior Dark Sword, and Blade Knight."

"Take the Blade Knight."

"I will lay one monster in defense mode, and a card face down. Then it's your turn."

"I drew Demon Soldier, so I pay 500 Life Points to destroy your set."

"My Blade Knight is gone…"

Sarius: 3800

Juno: 4300

"I will then summon Demon Soldier! (1900/1500)"

"I activate Tidal Wave! All of your monsters are destroyed!"

"I will activate Cry of the Living Dead. My Dark Master-Zork is revived. Now I attack you directly with him."

Sarius: 1100

Juno: 4300

Sarius drew slowly, and nodded. "I play Black Core. By discarding my Seeds of the Beginning, I remove your Zork."

"That's a risky play, Tirran. If I draw a monster, you are finished."

Sarius shrugged. "I have no other way to go about it."

Juno swore softly. "I didn't get a monster… oh well. I lay one card down, and end my turn."

Sarius looked at his new card. "This is a huge gamble… but I see no way around it. I remove Mad Dog of Darkness and Blade Knight to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon-Messenger of the End! (3500/3000) Now I use his effect, to destroy all of our cards for the cost of 1000 Life Points!"

"Why not attack?"

"I know you too well! I won't be fooled into your trap!"

"A wise choice… I had Magic Cylinder down. I also have to discard my Cyclone."

Sarius: 100

Juno: 3700

"Now it is all about top decking," Sarius said.

"Indeed. You got lucky this time… I lay one card down, and end."

"I remove my Mad Dog of Darkness and Blade Knight to special summon Chaos Soldier-Messenger of Creation! (3500/3000) I'll attack!"

Sarius: 100

Juno: 200

"DAMN YOU!" Juno drew, and swore again. "All I can do is lay a monster in defense mode…"

"I use my Chaos Soldier's effect! I remove your monster from the game, at the cost of him not being able to attack!"

"My Executioner Makyura… no…!"

"Now I summon Magic Warrior: Breaker! (2400/1500) He attacks for the win!"

Sarius: 100

Juno: 0

"CURSE YOU TIRRAN! WHY CAN'T YOU EVER BE DEFEATED?! YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE! WHY DO I ALWAYS FAIL?!"

"Because I have a purpose. Because I have a reason that I must win! Now leave this plane of existence!"

The ground began to split at Juno's feet. He glared at Sarius, his eyes filled with hatred.

"I do not fear anything, even the pits of Hell! No matter how many times you try, I will continue to come back! You will not win next time Tirran! I will eventually be the victor; do not forget that!"

The ground finally collapsed, and Juno fell, not attempting to resist.

Sarius sighed in a tired way. "I must go after him."

"What? But isn't he dead?" Brandi inquired.

"He's an omnihuman… no matter how many times he dies, he will be reborn. I cannot let him interfere again… you have enough to go through as it is." He turned to them. "I am sorry for your loss. Now be sure to make his soul lay to rest by finishing the task." Then Sarius leapt onto Raid's back. The Child and Cyrus followed. Raid leapt into the pit, right before it sealed up.

To be continued…


	39. Pain Bringer

o_o I got… reviews?! Yayness! *Watches pigs fly by* 

Flameink: I'm glad you like the story. But what are you thinking of taking from it? You'll have to get permission from me before borrowing any of it.

John: There are too many Ninja card to post here. Instead, I advise going to here: has translations for all of the cards I used in my fic.

Whispering Hope: Thanks. ^_^

***Chapter 39: Pain-Bringer***

Hope stared at the area where Sarius had vanished. Then she turned to the others.

"He's right. We have to go on… for Will, if anyone." 

"I agree," Brandi said. "We can't let any more deaths occur. This has been three blows to us, and I don't think we can take much more… we need to destroy the General, and quickly."

"As much as I would like to stay and mourn, we can't… delaying will only make it harder for us to go on," Claire stated. "Neo, are you ready to go on?"

Neo stood up slowly. "No. But I will anyway. It's what Will wanted…"

"Alright then. Let's go on then… this time, I'll lead…" Rue announced, and they walked on.

Brandi halted as Max caught onto her arm. "I need to talk to you privately."

"Um… ok," Brandi nodded. They fell to the back of the group. 

"I need to ask you a favor," Max whispered.

"Sure. Just tell me what it is."

"I have suspicions about who is behind this… I think that it might… have something to do with our step father. In fact, we might encounter him."

"Now that you mention it… reviving our dad would be something he would probably do…"

"Yes. That bastard knows all of our weak points, and plans to use them. If we do find him, we will be forced to duel. So I ask you to do one thing if we find him."

"What?"

"Knock out Hope."

Brandi struggled to keep her voice low. "WHAT?! Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"…It's my reaction. I can't ever forgive him… my anger will know no boundaries. I don't want Hope to witness me like that…"

"I see… fine then. But only if we see him. Hopefully, that won't happen."

"My instincts do not often fail me…" Max muttered as they began to catch up with the others.

*****

"It is almost done…" The man took out another orb. This one was different though. Instead of just flames, white and black lights danced around the flames, reflecting everywhere.

"We only need four more… four more souls, and the ritual will be complete." He laughed. "All this hard work, and careful planning, will finally be rewarded, when the ritual is done… the Ritual of 1000 Sacrifices."

*****

They were still walking, apparently not getting anywhere, when Olympion suddenly growled.

_Another one comes._

"About time…" Gaston murmured. "Ok, where is he?"

"Wait…" Hope looked around. "Over there!"

A man was approaching them. He wore a red business suit, and black pants. His hair was black, but had gray sideburns. He also had hard, black eyes. Anyone looking into those eyes would certainly get a chill down the spine.

"So who's Mr. Business Man?" Rue wondered.

Two things happened at once. Max suddenly dashed forward, drawing his katana in one swift movement, and lunging at the man with a roar of fury. Hope stepped back, surprised at the furious move. Brandi took advantage of her shock and grabbed her around the stomach. Muttering, "Forgive me," she punched Hope in the gut. Her eyes flashed with pain, and then she collapsed.

Max's katana came crashing down at the man's head, when another sword swiftly blocked it. It was held by a robot-like creature that was dressed in a grand manner. It had a very royal gold and red outfit. Its hat had a white feather sticking out of it, which looked somewhat dashing, and a little ridiculous. It was about as tall as the man it accompanied.

The machine's sword sparked with electricity, which threw Max backwards. He landed with a snarl of anger. 

"Now, is that a polite way to be greeting me after such a long time?" the man sneered.

"You bastard!" Max shouted. "You expect me to be pleasant to you after all that you have done?!" 

A black aura was coming from Max's body and entering Olympion. What amazed the onlookers was how viciously dark it was. They could have sworn it was at least ten times stronger than the other time they had seen it occur.

"What's going on?" Claire asked. "Who is this guy?"

"He's our step father…" Brandi explained. "Our step father, called Jason Macina. So Max was right… he was the one behind our father's revival…"

"And it should have worked!" Jason growled. "Apparently Max has gained some backbone since the last time I met him. It makes no difference though. I will be the one to defeat you in a duel, bringing us even closer to finishing the ritual…"

"You ruined my life… you were the one who destroyed everything I once knew. When I was young, I thought I couldn't be happier, that nothing could put an end to my joy. I didn't know how wrong I was… it is too late to change it though. I will take out my anger on you, the bastard who ripped apart my soul!" 

"Then let us begin!"

Gaston had taken the opportunity to examine Hope. "Brandi! Why did you do this?"

"Sorry, but I had to," she said quietly.

"What?"

"…I can't explain. She should come around sometime shortly."

"If you say so…" Gaston picked her up quickly. 

Max: 8000

Jason: 8000

"I will be the one to start!" Max stated. "I did not draw a Demon Sub-Type, so Olympion's effect will not activate. It will also be negated for the rest of the duel. I lay one monster in defense mode, and three cards face down."

"Easily countered…" Jason replied. "I activate my Soul Monster's ability. Admiral, my Machine Corp, allows me to discard any amount of Machine Sub-Types from my hand as I want. For each one that is discarded, you lose 500 Life Points. So I discard Mecha Falcon, (1400/1200) Oni Tank 7-34, (1400/1700) Machine Soldier from the Demon Realm, (1400/1200) and Android Psycho Shocker (2400/1500) to do 2000 damage to you."

Max: 6000

Jason: 8000

"I will lay one card down, and one monster in defense mode."

"It's my turn now… I summon Demon Soldier! (1900/1500) He will attack your monster!"

"You have run into my Battle Footballer. (1000/2100)"

Max: 5800

Jason: 8000

"I take it you are done? I will lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"I'm not falling for another high defender… I pass."

"I knew you would do that. First, I play Jar of Greed. Then I flip over my Sonic Jammer! (350/650) Now until your next end phase, you cannot use magic cards. Then I play Raise Dead on Android Psycho Shocker! (2400/1500)

"Damn it!" Max swore. "He negates all of my traps!"

"Exactly! Now I sacrifice my Sonic Jammer to summon Machine King! (2200/2000) For every machine monster on the field, he gains 100 more attack! (2500/2000) Machine King attacks Demon Soldier, and Android Psycho Shocker attacks your set!"

"My Twilight Zone Trainer… (100/2000)"

Max: 5200

Jason: 8000

"That will be all for now."

"Argh…" Max shook his head. "Damn you… I lay another monster in defense mode…"

"I will switch Battle Footballer to attack mode. Android Psycho Shocker will attack your defense monster."

"You attacked my Newt. (1900/400) You lose 500 attack points for destroying him. (1900/1500)"

"A small loss. I will have Machine King and Battle Footballer attack directly."

Max: 1700

Jason: 8000

Max glared at Jason. "Don't think you have won so easy, bastard!" He drew, and nodded. "This will do… I summon Giant Orc! (2200/0) He will attack your Android Psycho Shocker! He switches to defense mode after attacking though…"

Max: 1700

Jason: 7700

"How irritating… I switch Battle Footballer to defense mode. Then I discard Mecha Hunter (1850/800) from my hand to activate Admiral's effect."

Max: 1200

Jason: 7700

"Then I attack your Giant Orc with Machine King. (2400/2000) I will lay a monster in defense mode, and end my turn after that."

"Fine by me… I draw…" Max looked at the card he acquired. "Perfect. I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"I will activate my trap, Reserves. As long as I have five monsters in my Cemetery, I can activate this card. I then add three non-effect monsters, with attacks lower than 1500, to my hand."

"I can't let you get away with that! I activate Bandit's Swiss Army Knife! For a cost of 1000 Life Points, your trap is negated!"

Max: 200

Jason: 7700

"You are so annoying at times… like always…"

"I still don't understand…" Rue said. "Jason drove Max and Brandi out of their own house! Isn't that enough? Why did he want to track them down?"

"I'll tell you why… because my step children never accepted me! That caused my wife much grief… so I will have my revenge upon my step children."

"Of course they didn't accept you!" Claire exclaimed. "After all that you did to them, I don't blame them either!"

"Think as you wish. Now it's my turn. I will attack your monster with Machine King!"

"I activate Attack Nullification!"

"I end…"

"Now I flip over XENO! (200/100) This allows me to take control of one monster on your side of the field, so I take Machine King! The controlled monster also has the ability to attack directly, so I will have Machine King do so!"

Max: 200

Jason: 5300

"After that, I sacrifice Machine King and XENO to summon Composite Beast Gaazetto! His attack is the two monsters I sacrificed to bring him out added together! (2600/0) I lay one card down, and end my turn."

"Very well… I flip over my Air Guard Gear Golem! (800/2200) By paying 800 Life Points, he can attack directly for one turn!"

Max: 200

Jason: 4500

"Air Guard Gear Golem, attack directly!"

"I counter with Standing Against a Formidable Enemy! All of your monsters in attack mode are forced to attack my Composite Beast Gaazetto!"

Max: 200

Jason: 3700

"You brat! I end…"

"I summon Gil Gars! (1800/1200) Gaazetto will attack your Battle Footballer, and Gil Gars will attack directly!"

Max: 200

Jason: 1900

"No! All I can do is end…"

Max looked at the clear field in front of him. "It looks like you are finished."

"Then kill me! What are you waiting for? You want me dead, do you not?"

Gaston was relieved to see Hope begin to come around. He put her down again. "Are you alright?"

"I… think so." Hope winced as she touched the spot where she had been hit. "Ow… that's going to leave a mark. What's going on here?" 

Max's eyes narrowed as he pondered. "It is my greatest desire to see you die… but… I can't do it."

"What?" Brandi gasped.

"I will not lower myself to your level!" Max yelled. "You want me to be the cause of another death, right? Well, I won't let myself face that guilt! Not only that, but my mother would be heartbroken; this I know! However, I can't let myself be defeated by the likes of you."

"Then what will you do?" Jason asked.

"I have to thank Rue for this idea… I activate Destruction Ring on my Gaazetto! That causes this duel to be a tie!"

Max: 0

Jason: 0

"I can't believe that Max is sparing him…" Rue said softly. "I thought his hatred would blind him…"

Everyone was startled when Jason suddenly began to laugh.

"You are as foolish as ever!"

"What?" Max snarled. "I spare you, and this is how you respond?"

"Ah, but you didn't spare me! You thought that the penalties were negated if we tied?" Darkness began to cloak itself around the two duelists and their Soul Monsters. "You were wrong! If it is a tie, then we both die!"

"What?!"

"I thank you for helping the ritual become even closer to being finished!" Jason smirked, even as he was completely covered with darkness.

Max closed his eyes as he was covered as well, thinking one last thought.

_Will death really be better than being consumed by guilt?_

"MAX! NO!" Brandi ran over to her brother, but didn't arrive quickly enough. By the time she was there, he was gone, dragged into the darkness.

To be continued…


	40. Friend or Foe?

No comment.

***Chapter 40: Friend or Foe?***

Brandi ran her hand over the area that Max and Olympion had been, and found nothing. Only then did she kneel down and weep.

Hope was crying as well. "I can't take any more of this… three of the people I treasure most, gone… and other needless deaths…"

A crash echoed through the area. Rue had slammed his axe's blade into the "ground" of the area.

"I've had it! The next General I see can forget dueling! I'll kill him with my bare hands if necessary!" He hit the "ground" again with all his might. "I'll kill the next bastard that comes our way! He won't know what pain is until meeting me!"

"Oh Rue…" Claire breathed. She ran over to him, and grabbed his hand. "You mustn't think like that! You will only feel angry at yourself later! I agree that we must stop the Generals, but please, let's do it in a manner that is less-aggressive!"

"YOU THINK I CAN BE CALM NOW?!" He pulled his hand away fiercely. "Claire, you didn't know them like I did! I know they are your friends as well, but they helped me… made me stronger. I can't get over this!"

Ruecian punched Rue over the head, causing him to collapse.

"Thanks," Claire said, examining her brother. _It was too close that time… Ruecian is the only thing that keeps it from breaking out completely._

Brandi walked over to them, still shedding tears. Neo still seemed to have a lost look in his eyes. Nobody could tell what he was thinking.

Gaston automatically took the position as leader. "We can't stay in this area any longer. Let's move on. Brandi, stay strong… we will need you in the near future. Ruecian, can you carry Rue, since you were the one who knocked him out? Thanks. I'll pick a random direction to go. If Rue wants to take a different path when he wakes up, he can choose one. It's unfortunate that Olympion is now gone… he was good at finding where the Generals were."

After some walking, Rue eventually began to come around. Ruecian let him down as he woke up.

"Ow… what the heck happened?"

"You were knocked out," Claire said simply. "Gaston doesn't know which way to go, so he's taking us in a random direction."

"Very reassuring…" Rue muttered as he stood. "No Generals yet?"

"None."

*****

The man looked at the orb yet again. "Only two more to go…" He then trailed off, and seemed to be listening. "A splendid idea, my Lord. Are you sure though?" Another pause. "Very well then, my Lord. I will prepare for the final part of the Ritual."

*****

Hope didn't even feel herself grow weary, although she knew they must have been walking for a long time. She wished that they hadn't lost that watch in the fall, but shrugged it off. The pain of Brandi knocking her out had not faded, yet the area they were in seemed to almost numb it. Or maybe it was just the sorrow she felt that made her ignore it? She lost track of her thoughts when Gaston suddenly halted.

"I think… someone's up ahead," he murmured.

Indeed, two figures were walking up to them. They were wearing black cloaks that completely concealed themselves. 

"Let's have them come to us," Perseus decided.

As they came closer, Neo suddenly gasped.

"I… recognize… him…"

"What?" Rue turned to him. "You know one of those Generals?"

Neo nodded. "I don't know how… but I do know who the one… on the right is…"

The figures halted at a short distance. The one on the right chuckled softly.

"So, that's why it is so hard to maintain control… the soul is still somewhat alive." The voice coming from the figure was a cold, emotionless hiss. "I see…"

"That voice…" Hope frowned. "It sounds… almost familiar, no matter how wicked it is…"

Rue grabbed his battle axe. "I don't care if it's the president! That General is going to get his head hacked off if he comes one step closer!"

"Are you sure you want to do that?" the one on the left said. His voice was slightly different, but barely. 

"Why wouldn't I?!"

"Come now… you wouldn't want to destroy your old friends, would you?"

Claire glared at them. "What are you talking about?"

"…Very well…" The two figures threw off their cloaks.

It took all of Hope's willpower to not faint in shock.

The one on the left was Max, and the one on the right was Will. Yet something was wrong… both of them were cloaked with a black aura. The aura couldn't be called evil… it was so much worse than that. Satan himself could have generated that aura. On their foreheads was a red pentagram that reminded Hope horribly of blood. Their eyes were a solid red, except for the pupils, which were even blacker than usual, and had a reptilian appearance.

"…!" Hope couldn't say anything.

"It… it can't be…" Claire said softly.

"…No…" Brandi whispered. "This can't be real… it can't!"

"There is no way!" Rue gasped.

The silence was broken when a sound of steel being drawn echoed through the area. Neo had unsheathed his sword.

"You can't fool me! Will died! He died! You may be controlling his dead body, but I won't fall for it!"

Will smirked. "I expect no less… still… you cannot deny the pain that this will bring, to your body and soul." He drew something out of his pocket.

A card.

In one swift movement, Will tore it in half.

Neo's eyes clouded with pain as he fell. He said one last thing. Just one.

"Forgive me."

Then his body vanished.

"Neo!" Mana cried.

"You… HOW COULD YOU?!" Hope shouted. 

"Neo is right…" Brandi said. "You aren't my brother! Who are you?!"

Their eyes had been unfocused until this point. Now however, their eyes quickly locked onto Brandi and Claire. They glittered with a hunter's intense stare.

"I am the ruler of death…" Max held out his hand. "You are of no use here."

"Nor are you," Will stated to Claire.

"Sorrow clouds your hearts, and I only need two more to be formed completely. Now die," they said in unison.

Fire sprang up from the ground. Rue and Hope immediately shielded their eyes from the intense glow. The roar of the fire drowned out any sounds, but Hope could have sworn that she heard the screams of the victims. When they brought their hands away from their faces, Claire, Perseus, Brandi, and Mana were gone.

"No!" Hope cried. "Not them too!"

Rue turned back to the duo in front of him.

"…I… will…. kill… you…" He stepped forward, his eyes becoming red. "BASTARD! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"I could destroy you just as easily as I did them," Max stated.

"But I need two more souls to become truly alive. And to get them, I must win them fairly," Will continued.

"Therefore, a duel must be done," Max explained.

"And when I win, the end will begin," Will finished.

"We will be the winners!" Hope declared. "We have too much to lose for it to be otherwise!"

"After all that you have done, I will never let you live!" Rue shouted.

"Then the duel is accepted," Max replied. "Very well. This will be a two on two duel."

"Both players must be defeated to win," Will stated. "When one of you fall, you will die, and the soul will go to the ritual."

"If one of my players is defeated, then I will lose control over their body, and not be able to regain it."

"We will have separate fields. We all start with 8000 Life Points. Each player has five monster zones, and five slots for magic and trap cards. We will also have one slot each for field magic, but like usual, only one can occupy the field."

"Wide area effects, such as Thunderbolt, will work on only one person. You must choose which one you plan to use it on. Black Hole would destroy all monsters on all of the fields though," Max reminded them.

"All players must each get a turn before anyone may attack. We will alternate turns in this order: the axe carrier, this boy, the girl, and the other one under my control. Those are all of the rules… oh, one other thing," Will remembered.

Max and Will held out their hands. Suddenly, chains whipped out from the ground, tightening on the Soul Monsters.

"I have no access to Deck Masters, so it is only fair that you cannot use yours either," they said.

"Gaston! Are you alright?" Hope asked.

"No problem here…" Gaston assured. "I can't move at all though… I'm sorry, but you're on your own for this one."

"It doesn't matter…" Rue growled. "We'll kill this guy... easily!"

Hope: 8000

Rue: 8000

Max: 8000

Will: 8000

"So I start? Very well," Rue said. "I summon Skilled Black Magician! Then I lay two cards down, and end my turn."

Will smirked. "A very good hand… I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card face down."

Hope looked at her draw. "Looks good to me… I summon Dark Hero: Zombire! (2100/500) Then I lay a card."

"I lay one card in defense mode as well, and end my turn."

"It looks like I get the first attack," Rue announced. "Skilled Black Magician, attack Max's monster!"

Max flipped it over. "You attacked my Soul-Hunting Spirit. (300/200) This monster cannot be destroyed in battle."

"What the… but Max only uses Demons!" Rue protested.

"Those decks were not to my liking. I constructed ones that suit me better."

"What are they running then?" Hope wondered.

"You won't be able to tell until another few turns," Gaston pointed out. "Until then, you'll have to wing it." He looked at his wrist wryly. "I think my blood circulation is shot."

Just hang in there," Rue said. "I've made my move, now you make yours!"

"Gladly." Will looked at his next card. "Hm… I will flip summon my Newt. When this card is summoned in that manner, he gains 500 more attack and defense points. (2400/900) I also summon Giant Orc. (2200/0) Giant Orc attacks Zombire, and Newt attacks the Magician!"

Hope: 7900

Rue: 7500

Max: 8000

Will: 8000

Hope looked at her next card, and grinned. "I summon Getsufuuma! (1700/1200) Now he attacks Soul-Hunting Spirit!"

"You are wasting your time!" Max sneered. "Did you already forget that he cannot be destroyed by simple attacks?"

"Well, you must not have known what Getsufuuma's ability does! When he is in battle with a Demon or Undead Sub-Type, they are automatically destroyed!"

"What? Damn it…"

"And that's not all! I also equip him with Lightning Blade! (2400/1200) Not even your Newt can destroy him now!"

"Hm… a wall eh?" Max pondered. "Oh well; it makes no difference. I will play Call of the Corpses! This permanent magic lets me special summon one Undead from my hand when I have no monsters on the field. So now I can summon this monster without sacrificing. Behold, the Vampire Lord! (2000/1500) I will also summon Spirit Draining Bone Tower! (400/1500) Then I end."

"Hm… that's odd," Rue commented. "Why not attack me directly? Too afraid?"

"I have my reasons…" Max said.

"Whatever. I summon Gemini Elf! (1900/900) Attack the Bone Tower!"

"I hate to disappoint you, but as long as I have another Undead on the field, Bone Tower cannot be attacked."

"Dang it… in that case, I attack Giant Orc! Then I'm done."

"That Getsufuuma is getting to be annoying…" Will smirked at his draw. "So I think I'll just take it. I play Enemy Controller. By sacrificing my Newt, I can take control of one of your monsters. So now your Getsufuuma is mine! Now attack the girl directly!"

"My name is Hope! And I activate Metal Armor! Your attacking monster is destroyed!"

"What a pity… I lay one monster down."

Hope looked at her next card. "I summon Initiate Troops! (1000/1000) I will then use their effect! By sacrificing them, I can kill another monster! And I choose Vampire Lord! Then I lay two cards down."

"Foolish girl…" As Max drew, his Vampire Lord materialized on the field again.

"That's impossible!" Hope protested.

"Vampire Lord will always be reborn on my standby phase whenever it is destroyed by a magic, trap, or monster effect. Also, Vampire's resurrection triggered my Bone Tower's ability. Every time I special summon an Undead Sub-Type, one of you is forced to discard two cards from the top of your deck. I choose the girl in this case."

"You got my Blindly Loyal Goblin and Black Hole…"

"Now I summon another Bone Tower! (400/1500) After that, I lay one card down. I will switch my first Bone Tower to defense mode. Then I attack the girl directly with Vampire Lord."

"Not a smart idea," Rue interrupted. "I activate my Torture Wheel! Your Vampire Lord is caught!"

"Then go ahead."

"Thanks Rue!" Hope called.

"No problem. Now I draw, and you lose 500 Life Points to my Torture Wheel."

Hope: 7900

Rue: 7500

Max: 7500

Will: 8000

"Now, I have an idea… I lay one monster in defense mode, and then play Book of the Sun! This immediately switches my Tenacious Old Magician to attack mode! (450/600) His effect lets me destroy one monster on the field, so I destroy your Vampire Lord! Then I lay one card down, and end my turn."

"Idiot! Do you wish to die?" Max inquired.

"It's called strategy," Rue retorted.

"A strategy to die? I can understand then," Will snickered. "I will lay one more card down, and end."

"My turn now… I lay one monster in defense mode, and end."

"I draw, and my Vampire Lord is reborn."

"In response to that, I activate Bottomless Pit Trap!" Rue declared. "Your monster is removed from the game!"

"So that's why you were so confident… however, my Bone Tower's abilities are still activated. The girl will now lose four cards from the top of her deck."

"I lose my Dark Knight Gaia of the Gale, Rocket Warrior, Falcon Knight, and Change of Heart."

"Now I summon Vampire Lady. (1550/1550) She will attack the axe-wielder's Tenacious Old Magician. " 

Hope: 7900

Rue: 6400

Max: 7500

Will: 8000

"When my Vampire Lady does damage to your Life Points, I call a type of card. You will be forced to remove one of those cards from your deck. So I call magic."

Rue looked through his deck quickly. "I'll ditch my other Book of the Sun."

"I switch my other Bone Tower to defense mode. Then I end."

"I will play Angel's Gift, discarding Black Magic Curtain and Black Magician. Then I play Raise Dead on Black Magician! (2500/2100) Attack Will's monster!"

"You have destroyed my Gil Gars. (1800/1200) May I take my turn?"

"Go ahead."

"Thank you for killing my monster. Now I can remove Newt, Giant Orc, and Gil Gars to special summon Dark Necrophia! (2200/2800) She will attack the girl's defense monster."

"I activate Curse of Darkness! Your monster is halted, and she also loses 700 attack points! (1500/2800)"

"Hey, join the club!" Gaston shouted cheerfully to the Necrophia, who was struggling to get out of the chains.

"Damn you… I'm done…" Will muttered.

"So you run a Demon deck? Then this monster should work very well! I sacrifice my face down Retrained Elven Swordsman (1400/1200) to summon Warrior of the Sun! (2100/1400) Now Warrior of the Sun attacks your Necrophia! His attack also increases by 500 when in battle with a Dark Main-Type, so you're in for a lot of pain! (2600/1400)"

Hope: 7900

Rue: 6400

Max: 7500

Will: 6900

"You did exactly what I wanted you to do! I activate my instant magic card, Bargain with a Demon! I can only activate this card when a monster with eight levels or more goes to the Cemetery from my field. When one does, I get to search my deck and special summon a Berserk Dead Dragon! (3500/0)"

"Hope, I hate to say this. But we're screwed," Rue pointed out.

"Not yet, we aren't!" Hope disagreed. "Anyway, I end my turn."

"My Necrophia's ability activates! Your monster, Warrior of the Sun, comes under my control!"

"Rats. Maybe you have a point Rue."

"Now it is my turn," Max hissed. "I lay one monster in defense mode. I also switch my Vampire Lady to defense mode, and end my turn."

"My turn… I summon Magician's Valkyria! (1600/1800) Now my Valkyria will attack your Vampire Lady! Then Black Magician will attack your defense monster!"

"You destroyed Pyramid Turtle. (1200/1400) This monster allows me to special summon an Undead from my deck with a defense of 2000 or less, so I will get my Royal Bodyguards! (1600/1700) This also triggers my Bone Towers, so the girl is forced to discard four more cards."

"I'm getting sick of this…" Hope muttered. "I lose my Goblin Strike Team, Calling Reinforcements, Executioner Makyura, and The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade."

"I'll finish my turn at that," Rue declared.

"Very well… I will now summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1500) All of my monsters will attack the girl!"

Hope looked at her face down card, and groaned. "No… this won't help me now! And this attack will all but wipe me out!"

_No… I can't let her die too! _Rue suddenly had an idea. _Wait… why didn't they attack me when I was open? Could it be that they were afraid of Getsufuuma…? This is a risk, but it just might work! _"Magician's Valkyria! Black Magician! Guard her!"

The monsters immediately leapt onto Hope's field, just in time to save her from suffering the Berserk Dead Dragon and Warrior of the Sun's attacks. 

"An interference?!" Will snarled. "Demon Soldier! Forget the girl and attack the axe-wielder!"

Hope: 7900

Rue: 3000

Max: 7500

Will: 6900

"Rue! Why?"

He smiled. "I can't let anyone else die…"

"My Berserk Dead Dragon loses 500 attack points every time I reach my end phase. (3000/0) Now take your turn."

Hope looked at her next card. "…I lay a monster… and end."

"Now it is my turn." His red eyes glared at Rue, chilling his heart. "You have interfered, and for that you will die. I call forth Goblin Zombie. (1100/1050) Then I play Book of Life-Forbidden Magic. This card allows me to special summon one Undead from my Cemetery, so I revive Vampire Lady! (1550/1550) This also allows me to remove one monster from your Cemetery, so remove Dark Knight Gaia of the Gale. Now, all of my monsters will attack the axe-wielder directly!"

Rue flipped over his face down card. "I activate Ceasefire Treaty! This flips over all monsters on the field. Then, for every effect monster, you will lose 500 Life Points! I'm going to have Max suffer from this!"

"You flipped my Twilight Zone Warrior Lady," Hope said.

"So there are seven effect monsters… that does 3500 damage!"

"Stupid boy… you cannot stop my attack!"

Hope: 7900

Rue: 0

Max: 4000

Will: 6900

"What?! Rue! You're… out of Life Points? That can't be true!"

Rue smiled sadly. "It's true. I'm done. Hope, you've gotta win for me… please, beat them…"

"No… not you too!" Hope cried.

Rue turned to Ruecian weakly. "Sorry pal… it looks like we're outta here. I hope you don't mind?"

Then, for the first time, Ruecian spoke. "Death only comes when it is the right time. I will always be by your side, even in the realms of the dead."

"Thanks… that means a lot to me…" then Rue collapsed. Ruecian's limp body was released from the chains that had held him.

"…" Gaston tried to prevent tears. "I guess he wasn't such a mute… after all…"

Hope collapsed on her knees, weeping openly. "Now they're all gone… it can't be…!" She looked at Rue's body again.

And was astonished when his hand moved.

Rue slowly rose, to everyone's shock.

"Rue…!" Hope gasped. "How… is it possible?"

Rue opened his eyes, and Hope was horrified to see them blood red.

"Rue? That fool is gone…" he smirked. "The only thing that was holding me back was that friend of his… the magician. He is of no more though, so now I have emerged…"

He turned to Max and Will, and laughed. "I see… attempting to have Satan be reborn? How amusing! Even the Dark Lord has attempted to help…"

"What?" Hope asked.

"You can't tell? Idiot! Satan himself is controlling these bodies!"

"WHAT?!"

"Is it that hard to believe?" Rue sneered. "He is the one who wants this to succeed the most… why wouldn't he assist himself?"

"I see…" Max muttered. "So you are living in the axe-wielder's body. Very clever, _Demon_. You are still bound to the rules of this game though."

"True… I am a Demon." Rue slid the cards from his Duel Disk, and inserted a different deck. "And I do know the penalties of backing down. I am not doing this to help you girl, but I will duel for my own life."

Hope nodded, and stood up. "One thing… you aren't Rue… so who are you?"

"My name is long forgotten…" he stated. "So I will borrow my host's. Call me Demon Rue."

Hope: 7900

Demon Rue: 8000

Max: 4000

Will: 6900

"I end my turn, so take yours, Demon."

"Very well…" Demon Rue smirked. "Ah, now these are the kinds of hands that I like. I lay two cards face down, and summon Kuribo in attack. (300/200) It is your turn."

Will snickered. "Kuribo? That doesn't seem your style."

Demon Rue glared at the cute and innocent fluff ball. "It isn't what I prefer, but it gets the job done."

"So you say… Berserk Dead Dragon! Attack and annihilate that fur ball!"

As the Dragon rushed at the defenseless Kuribo, it suddenly exploded, sending purple spores everywhere.

"I activate my trap, the Deck Destruction Virus of Death! By sacrificing my Kuribo, all of your monsters with 1500 or more that are on the field and in your hand are destroyed! Not only that, but for the next three turns, any monster that you get with that attack will also be discarded."

"Now all that I have left is a Goblin Zombie and two Bone Towers… and I must discard Giant Orc and Royal Bodyguards… damn you! I end my turn…"

Hope drew cautiously. "I switch my Twilight Zone Warrior Lady to attack mode. I also summon Troop Commander! (1200/400) Using his ability, I call forth Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0) Now I will have my Troop Commander destroy Goblin Zombie, and my other monsters attack Will directly!"

"When you do so, I activate Cyclone, destroying the Demon's face down card!"

"I will chain it. It is my Seal of Time! Now the one with the Undead will be forced to skip his draw phase."

"As well as that might be for you, you activated my Goblin Zombie's ability. I search my deck for a monster with a defense of 1200 or less and special summon it. So I get Gelnia! (1100/1200) And the girl is forced to discard four cards."

"I lose Buster Blader, Cyclone, Holy Barrier-Mirror Force, and Command Knight. Go ahead."

Hope: 7900

Demon Rue: 8000

Max: 3900

Will: 3100

"Very well. I cannot draw, but I can play Raise Dead. I will revive your Buster Blader."

"I activate Imperial Decree! Now all magic cards are negated!"

"…I switch my Gelnia to defense mode… and end…"

"Then it is my turn. I summon Executioner Makyura. (1600/1200) I lay one card down, and attack the boy that uses the Berserk Dead Dragons."

Hope: 7900

Demon Rue: 8000

Max: 3900

Will: 1500

"Fine then… I draw…"

"I activate Lost Property. Now you must discard the card you just drew."

"My Cry of the Living Dead… I pass…"

"I will not pay for Imperial Decree. Twilight Zone Warrior Lady, attack Will!"

Hope: 7900

Demon Rue: 8000

Max: 3900

Will: 0

Will's body collapsed to the floor. Darkness spread over his body, pulling it away.

"…I also switch Troop Commander to defense mode…"

Max snarled. "You may have taken one of my slaves, but I am not done yet! I draw… it's Vampire Lady. I'm forced to discard it… I end."

Demon Rue frowned at what he drew. "Useless! Those Bone Towers are infuriating! I will attack Gelnia, and lay a card down."

Hope smiled at her draw. "I play Warrior's Return! Using it, I add Initiate Troops to my hand! Now I summon and sacrifice them, killing your Bone Tower! Then I switch all of my monsters to attack mode. Goblin Strike Team, kill the Bone Tower! Now my Twilight Zone Warrior Lady will attack!"

"I play Cry of the Living Dead, calling forth my Vampire Lady. (1550/1550)"

"Drat… I end…"

Hope: 7900

Demon Rue: 8000

Max: 2000

Will: 0

"When you draw, I activate another Lost Property."

"No… my Thunderbolt…!"

"Are you finished? I assume you are, because now there is nothing you can do to halt me. I summon Mad Dog of Darkness. (1900/1400) Executioner Makyura attacks Vampire Lady, and my Mad Dog of Darkness attacks you."

Hope: 7900

Demon Rue: 8000

Max: 50

Will: 0

"Now it is my turn… I will attack directly with Troop Commander!"

Hope: 7900

Demon Rue: 8000

Max: 0

Will: 0

Max fell forward. "So you win… but only for now. Know this! When I am in my true form, you will not stand a chance!"

Then Max's body was dragged away by the darkness as well.

To be continued…


	41. The Cause of It All

John: Thanks. ^_^ I hope this lives up to your (and other readers') expectations.

***Chapter 41: The Cause of It All***

Hope collapsed on the ground, shaking. 

"I can't go on with this… they're all gone… all of them… they were the only… reason… I wanted to… fight…"

Demon Rue shook his head in disgust. "Humans… I'll never understand them. They are simply too fragile… physically and emotionally… bah…"

The chains that had bound Gaston had vanished. Rubbing his wrists to get the circulation going, he limped over to Hope. "You can't give up… look at how many have fallen to stop the ritual. We can't let their deaths be in vain…"

Hope looked up at him. "That's true… but still… I don't know if I can go on… if Demon Rue hadn't shown up, I would have lost… what if I'm not capable of winning…?"

"If you put your mind to it, you can win. You HAVE to win…"

Demon Rue began to walk off. "I'm tired of wasting my time here. The only way to get out of this area is to end the ritual, so I'm going to do that. If you want to stay and die of old age, that's your call."

No more words were spoken as Hope and Gaston followed.

* * *

"It didn't go as planned… if that Demon hadn't shown up, the ritual would already be done!"

"My Lord, there is still the girl. We only need one more soul… if we can eliminate the girl, then you will have the physical form and power that you desire…"

"All of your duelists are gone though. There is only one left-you."

"Then I will be the one to bring her down, my Lord."

"Take out the Demon first. He will cause trouble at a later date, and I need him to be dead before I emerge… it will also weaken the girl's spirit even more…"

"I understand, my Lord. I'll kill the Demon, then the girl."

"Good…"

* * *

After some time, Demon Rue halted. Hope ran to catch up.

"Why did you stop?"

Demon Rue was looking ahead. "The leader has finally decided to show his cowardly face."

A figure was approaching quickly.

"So, the time has finally come…" Hope said. "Finally, we see who has caused all of this needless suffering…"

The person was now in talking range.

"Greetings. I am the one you seek, or so I assume."

"That voice!" Hope gasped. "So he was the one who controlled Amy!"

"I probably am searching for you," Demon Rue agreed. "The only way out of this barren place is to defeat you, correct? That is the only reason I will even waste my time on a worthless pest like you."

"Big words for a Demon that has lost most of his power," the man sneered. "Idle words to not scare me. Now, my Lord has commanded me to duel you first, Demon. After you are defeated, the girl will be the one to die."

Demon Rue smirked. "You wish to kill me? Fool! I cannot die by a simple card game!"

"This I am well aware of… but you can be banished to Hell…" the man pointed out. "My Lord lets nobody escape once they enter there…"

Hope paled at the thought of her friends suffering there.

"Banished to Hell? Hah! Satan FEARS me, above all that is in this weak world. Heaven would never accept a tainted soul such as mine, and Hell fears me! I have no place in either."

"Then you shall remain in Limbo forever, Demon!" The man threw off the hood of his cloak, revealing short, black hair, and dark brown eyes. What caught Hope's attention was the black pentagram that was glowing on his forehead.

"Is he being possessed?" she whispered.

He heard her. "No… I was marked with this upon birth. Why should I not serve my Lord when his mark is burned upon my flesh?" He took out a Duel Disk. "Prepare yourself Demon."

"I could beat you totally unprepared," Demon Rue said calmly.

"So you say… well, neither of us have Soul Monsters, so the field is already even." He shuffled his deck. "Ah, I guess I forgot to say who I am. Call me Diablos."

"Trying to sound like your master?"

"I was given this name at birth… it was not my choice!"

"I'm sure…"

Hope was worried. "Something's not right… I can't quite put my finger on it…"

"Don't be so nervous," Gaston replied. "Once Demon Rue takes this guy out, then the ritual is stopped. Isn't that all we need?"

"Still… I have a bad feeling about this…"

Demon Rue: 8000

Diablos: 8000

"I will take all the honors in going first," Demon Rue stated.

"You have honor?"

"Even Demons have an honor code. Unlike you pathetic mortals, we do not break it." Ignoring Diablos' protests, he drew his six cards. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and a card down. It is your turn."

"Fine… I will need a few turns to prepare… I set a monster, and lay two cards down."

"Now it gets interesting," Demon Rue announced. "I will flip over my monster, The Black Cat That Brings Unhappiness. (500/300) This monster allows me to search my deck for one trap, and put it on top of my deck. Now, I activate my trap card, the Deck Destruction Virus of Death! By sacrificing my Black Cat, all of your monsters above 1500 attack points are destroyed."

Diablos looked at his hand, and snickered. "A Deck Destruction Virus of Death deck? How pathetic! You see, I have no cards above 1500 attack! My strongest is 1400!"

"What?!" Demon Rue snarled. "Damn! I summon Mad Dog of Darkness. (1900/1400) Then I lay another card down. My Mad Dog will now attack!"

"You have attacked my Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200) Now I can search my deck for a monster with 1500 defense or less."

"Very well… I end."

"Now I draw, and summon Critter. (1000/600) Now I play Ritual of Illusions! By offering Critter, I can special summon Sacrifice! (0/0) I also get to search my deck for Critter's effect."

"Sacrifice seems worthless," Demon Rue noted.

"He may have low stats, but it is for a reason. You see, Sacrifice can actually take the stats from other monsters. Sacrifice, absorb the Mad Dog of Darkness!"

The Mad Dog howled as it was drawn into Sacrifice, trying to resist but failing.

"Now my Sacrifice has gained your monster's stats! (1900/1400) Sacrifice, direct attack!"

Demon Rue: 6100

Diablos: 8000

"Very well. I draw, and lay this card down. I also summon Demon Soldier. (1900/1500) Suicidal attack!"

The Demon Soldier crashed into Sacrifice, yet when the smoke cleared, the Sacrifice was still there.

"Whenever you attack Sacrifice, the monster it absorbed will be destroyed instead. We also lose the same amount of Life Points from the difference in attacks."

"Hmph… I end."

"I will lay another card down, and lay one monster in defense mode. I also switch Sacrifice to defense mode."

"I summon Executioner Makyura. (1600/1200) He attacks your Sacrifice!"

"You have triggered my trap, Gravity Bind! Now your monster cannot attack!"

"I chain with my facedown card, Cyclone! It will destroy your Gravity Bind!"

"And I chain that with Judgment of Anubis! By discarding Book of the Sun from my hand, your Cyclone is negated. Also, I choose one monster on your field and destroy it. You lose Life Points equal to its attack as well. So destroy Makyura!"

"Blast it… well, in doing that, Makyura's effect activates. I can now play Seal of Time from my hand, forcing you to skip your next draw phase." 

Demon Rue: 4500

Diablos: 8000

"I flip over my facedown monster, Saint Magician. (300/400) She allows me to get one magic card from the Cemetery, so I will do so. Then I attack your Life Points with her. After that, I end."

Demon Rue: 4200

Diablos: 8000

"I lay one monster in defense mode, and end."

"I play Book of the Sun. This magic card switches one monster from facedown defense mode to attack."

"You have revealed my Newt. Since he was reverse summoned, he gets 500 more attack and defense points. (2400/900)"

"A poor choice on your part. Sacrifice will absorb him! (2400/900) I switch Saint Magician to defense mode. Now Sacrifice will attack directly!"

"I cannot let that one go by… I block the attack with Torture Wheel!"

"Argh… I end…"

"You now lose 500 Life Points to Torture Wheel."

Demon Rue: 4200

Diablos: 7500

"I lay one card down, and summon Kuribo. (300/200) That's all."

Diablos held back his laughter. "Kuribo?"

"Oh shut up!" Demon Rue snapped. "Don't think that I LIKE using him!"

"As if I would… I play Cyclone, destroying your Torture Wheel. Sacrifice, attack the Kuribo!"

"I activate my instant magic card, Multiply. By sacrificing my Kuribo, I get five Kuribo tokens to occupy my monster zone. (300/200)"

"How annoying… attack and kill one token then. I end after that."

"I pass."

"I switch Saint Magician to attack mode. I then attack your tokens with both. You only have two now… I end."

"I pass again."

"It doesn't look good for Demon Rue," Hope commented.

"Don't give up on him yet," Gaston advised. "I think he's planning something…"

"My monsters will attack your last tokens, then I end."

Demon Rue looked at his next card, and smirked. "I play Theft. This equip magic allows me to take one of your monsters as my own. So I take Sacrifice! Then he attacks Saint Magician!"

Demon Rue: 4200

Diablos: 5400

"Of course, on your standby phase, you get 1000 Life Points due to Theft."

Demon Rue: 4200

Diablos: 6400

"Enough of this!" Diablos growled. "I play Black Hole, wiping out all of our monsters! Then I summon Wicked God of a Thousand Eyes! (0/0) Now I play Metamorphosis! By offering one of my monsters on the field, I am allowed to bring out a monster from my fusion deck with the same level. So I offer my Wicked God, to bring out Thousand Eyes Sacrifice! (0/0)"

"So, another one that works by absorbing monsters?"

"Yes. I end my turn."

Demon Rue shook his head. "You should have waited until I had a monster on my field. Now it is going to be destroyed too easily. I summon Critter. (1000/600) Critter attacks your Thousand Eyes Sacrifice!"

"Better rethink that. As long as Thousand Eyes Sacrifice is on the field, all monsters cannot attack, or switch battle positions, besides himself."

"…Damn… end turn."

"I will have my Thousand Eyes Sacrifice absorb the Critter, and attack directly. I also set a monster."

Demon Rue: 3200

Diablos: 6400

"Do not get overconfident," Demon Rue growled. "I lay one monster, and end my turn."

"I set a monster, and attack with Thousand Eyes Sacrifice."

"You have run into my Cyber Pod. (900/900) When flipped, all of the monsters on our fields are destroyed."

"Curse you!"

"Then, we each pick up five cards and show them to our opponent. Any level four or lower monsters are automatically special summoned. I got Demon Soldier, Black Forest Witch, Lost Property, Kuribo, and Tempest. Demon Soldier is special summoned in attack, while Black Forest Witch and Kuribo go to defense."

"I have picked up Ritual of Illusions, Manju God, Cry of the Living Dead, Thunderbolt, and Saint Magician. Saint Magician and Manju God go to defense. (1400/1000) I will play Thunderbolt. Then I lay two cards down, ending my turn…"

"Your Thunderbolt triggered my Witch's ability." Demon Rue finished shuffling his deck. "It is too bad that you had to lay those down… I play Tempest."

"My I chain Cry of the Living Dead. My Black Forest Witch is resurrected, and then destroyed, allowing me to search my deck for a monster. You also destroyed my Ritual of Illusions, Gravity Bind, and Cyclone."

"That's odd…" Hope commented. "Why lay down Ritual of Illusions when he knew it would be destroyed?"

"He had six cards in his hand," Gaston explained. "If you go beyond that limit by the time the end phase comes, you are forced to discard until your hand is lowered to six."

"Oh…"

"Now I will play Change of Heart on your Saint Magician, and flip it. I'll get Change of Heart back from my Cemetery. Then I summon Executioner Makyura. (1600/1200) Executioner Makyura attacks your Manju God, and Saint Magician attacks you directly. Then I lay two cards down."

Demon Rue: 3200

Diablos: 6100

"I draw…"

"And I activate Lost Property. You are forced to discard what you drew."

"That was my Jar of Greed… I will summon another Manju God. (1400/1000) Then I activate Ritual of Illusions, offering Saint Magician for Sacrifice. (0/0)"

"When you special summon it, I activate my Destruction Ring. Your monster is destroyed. Since it has 0 attack, neither of us take damage."

"Damn it… I end…"

"I summon Newt. (1900/400) I will also lay one card down, and attack your Manju God with Executioner Makyura. Newt attacks you directly."

Demon Rue: 3200

Diablos: 4000

"I draw… yes! I lay three cards facedown…"

"And I use Cyclone on the first one you lay."

"No! My Judgment of Anubis! Gr… I lay one monster in defense, and end my turn…"

"I activate Seal of Time, so you must skip your next draw phase. Then I play Harpy's Feather Sweep, banishing all of your other cards."

"My Gravity Bind and Holy Barrier-Mirror Force…" 

"I will then attack your defense monster with Executioner Makyura."

"My Wicked God of a Thousand Eyes…"

"Then my Newt attacks directly."

Demon Rue: 3200

Diablos: 2100

"…And I can't draw… I lay one monster in defense mode and end…"

Demon Rue smirked at what he drew. "You will now lose in the most embarrassing of ways. I play Raise Dead, on Kuribo. (300/200) Now, Executioner Makyura attacks your set."

"…Killer Snake…"

"I will then have Newt attack, and Kuribo finish you."

Demon Rue: 3200

Diablos: 0

"…I CANNOT believe I just LOST TO A KURIBO!"

"Sucks to be you," Demon Rue snickered. "Losing not only a game, but your life, to a fur ball."

"Silence Demon! It is for a good cause! For now, my soul will go to the ritual!"

"And I'm supposed to be impressed?"

"Demon, you still don't get it? We have 1000 Souls. The ritual is complete. Now all that is needed is a replacement."

Demon Rue glared at him. "What do you mean?"

"It's simple… you will be the one he switches with." Diablos took out a dagger, and stabbed himself in the heart. He was dead before he hit the ground.

"What does that fool mean?" Demon Rue demanded.

An orb fell from the General's pocket. One of fire, with white and black lights dashing around inside it.

It hit the ground.

Darkness suddenly shot out of the orb, consuming Demon Rue. Before he even had a chance to say anything, he was gone, and in his place was someone else.

Gaston and Hope, until this point, had been silent, not knowing what to say. Now was no different; they were shocked at the evil that had emerged in front of them.

To be continued…


	42. The Devil

This is it… final chapter. And to think, I just made this fic for fun. Now it's consumed my life. o_o 

Whispering Hope: Demon Rue is NOT a Yami. This does NOT star any Anime characters. NONE! Got it? Good. ^_^ Anyway, I'm glad you like him… I do too.

John: Yay.

***Chapter 42: The Devil***

Until this point, Hope had not been sure if the ritual was really possible. She had not been sure if Satan existed. But the one in front of her left no doubt. Nothing could be this evil, and not be the Devil.

Most kids envisioned him as a huge, red monster, with humongous bat wings, horns, and a tail. As scary as those thoughts were, the truth was far worse.

He wore a long sleeved black shirt, and black pants. Black shoes were also worn. He had silver hair that fell a little bit below his shoulders. His skin was extremely pale, so much that he could have been dead. Even his lips had no color to them… just whiteness. His fingernails were more like claws, very sharp and sturdy looking. His teeth were pointed, almost like a vampire's. 

Over his shoulder, a pitchfork was strapped. The handle was black, and the prongs were red. Hope wasn't sure if it had come that way, or if it was from the blood of his victims. Either way, it was a wicked weapon that would not be taken lightly. On the back of his right hand was a pentagram that seemed to burn, even though it was black. The darkness in the area seemed to be attracted to him; it would cloak around his body, and refuse to leave. Hope could see why; he was surrounded by an even darker aura than his possessed victims had been covered with. It was much more under control though; it just outlined his body, and did not spread everywhere. For some reason, this seemed much worse.

He then slowly opened his eyes. That was what scared Hope out of her mind. She had thought Max and Will's possessed eyes had been the worst that they could get, but she had been wrong. His entire eyes were red, and he had the same reptilian pupils his puppets had acquired. Yet these… you couldn't hold your gaze very long before thinking of horrifying visions. They spoke of evil, torture, pain… a lame description, Hope admitted to herself, but there was no other way to tell of what they were like. Evil just didn't cover it enough.

Satan looked at his right hand mildly, then held it out. The orb that had been laying on the ground suddenly flew over to him. He caught it easily, and examined it.

_"So it was successful…"_

His voice was quiet, yet in the area they were in it seemed as if he had shouted through a megaphone. It chilled Hope to the bone. It sounded like a hiss, yet the evil essence it carried seemed to amplify it, making it sound even more frightening. 

In her heart, she knew that if she was ever asked to describe him, she would probably not be able to do it accurately. The only way to fully understand was to see him, and even then, you would wonder if he had been real… and not just the worst nightmare possibly thought up.

He smiled coldly, displaying his sharp teeth. _"How interesting.__ He actually managed to do it. 1000 souls… all in this small orb. Not much surprises me these days, but I am impressed nevertheless. This physical form will serve me well…"_

Gaston drew his sword. Although he knew that if it came to a fight, he would stand no chance, he was still prepared to go down with honor. "What happened to Demon Rue?"

_"The Demon?__ I see… so he switched places with me. He will now be where I was while the General prepared the ritual-in Limbo, a place of infinite nothingness."_ Satan smirked. _"I feel no envy… it was a most boring area."_

He then looked at Hope and Gaston. _"So you are the girl and Soul Monster that kept trying to interfere… I see that you are still alive. It makes no difference to me. Now that I am in this realm, no mortal can defy my power." _He held out his hand. _"The first deaths will occur now… goodbye."_

A beam of dark energy shot out, fire circling it, aimed at Hope. Before she could react, Gaston slammed into her, pushing her away.

The explosion echoed throughout the area.

Hope looked up slowly, and was shocked at what she saw.

The beam had torn completely through Gaston. Blood poured from the hole in his chest. His sword was in the ground, and he was leaning on it, trying to rise, knowing it was useless.

"No…" Hope whispered.

"I'm sorry…" he gasped. "But I… I can't stay…"

"No!" Hope cried. "Don't leave me! Not you too!"

"I must… please… forgive me…" He looked into her eyes. "Did… I… do well… in serving you?"

She nodded, tears falling from her eyes. "Yes! I couldn't have asked for anything better!"

"Thank… you…" Then he vanished, unable to take the pain any longer.

Hope made no effort to stand. She just cried, knowing that Gaston's sacrifice had been in vain, and that Satan could kill her just as easily.

_"Such a fool…"_ Satan sneered. _"But it matters not. Both of you were to die in the end."_ Again, he held out his palm. Another beam came sailing at Hope.

She looked up in time to see it coming, but did not try to move. It was all pointless… he would kill her soon enough, right?

Suddenly, a dome of light appeared around Hope. The beam crashed into it, but did not penetrate it.

"What on earth…?" Hope wondered.

_"Impossible!"_ Satan hissed. _"How can a mere girl block one of my attacks?"_

A glow caught Hope's attention. She looked at the area where her heart was, and saw that light was shining in that area.

"What's going on?!" she asked.

Satan snarled in fury. _"I see… so I must defeat you in a duel… it is the only fair method of ending your life. Very well then… prepare yourself."_

Hope stared at her Duel Disk. 

_"If you decline, I have every right to kill you where you stand."_

"Would that be a bad thing…?" Home murmured. "I will lose anyway… but… my friends…" She stood. "Alright. I'll duel. And win. For the ones you have wronged!"

_"I am not known as the Lord of Darkness for nothing. You will soon see why."_

Hope: 8000

Satan: 8000

Hope looked at what she had drawn. "This will do… I lay one monster in defense mode, and two cards down."

_"I will lay two cards facedown, and play Sealing Swords of Light."_

Hope held back a shudder as she saw the swords plunge down. Instead of the normal yellow swords, these were pitch-black, with an evil energy emitting. 

"You reveal my Falcon Knight. (1000/700)"

_"One monster in defense mode will bring the end ever closer."_

"Where there's darkness, there is always at least a little light. I sacrifice my Falcon Knight to summon Warrior of the Sun! (2100/1400)" Hope felt a little calmer to see the soldier of light. 

_"On doing so, I activate my trap, Ouija Board. You have four turns before dying."_

"Oh God…" Hope breathed. "Not Ouija Board…" The board was filled with an evil black aura, which seemed to drain her life just by looking. "I can only end…" 

_"Death Message E is retrieved from the deck. I pass."_

When the message E was played, something felt… wrong. Hope felt weary and exhausted. She shook off the feeling and drew.

"Yes! I play Cyclone on Ouija Board, destroying it!"

_"My trap is triggered; Curse of Magic-Sealing. By discarding Death Message T, I negate and destroy your magic, and prevent you from using any more that have the same name for the rest of the duel."_

"No… I have three Cyclones…" Hope shook her head. "I lay one monster and end…"

_"Death Message A will be played from my deck. Again, I pass."_

Now it was definite. Hope felt like her life was being drained.

"What's… going on?"

_"You are feeling the side effects of Ouija Board. As the message is spelled out, you will lose more of your life force… your very soul."_

"Argh…" Hope struggled to stay up. "I… lay another monster, and end…"

_"I will get Death Message T. My Sealing Swords of Light have now expired. I end my turn without doing anything."_

Hope fell to one knee, struggling to stay up as she drew.

"A miracle… I play… Harpy's Feather Sweep!"

The board was swept away. As soon as it was gone, she felt much better.

"Now I summon Troop Commander! (1200/400) And with his ability, I call Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0) I flip summon my Iron Knight: Gear Freed (1800/1600) and Executioner Makyura! (1600/1200) Now, my Troop Commander attacks your set!"

"_You have attacked Cyber Pod._ (900/900)_"_

"No…" Hope groaned. "I was so close…"

_"We now pick up five cards. I have picked up Tidal Wave, The Black Cat That Brings Unhappiness, Death Message E,  Jar of Greed, and Death Message H. My monster will go to defense mode._ (500/300)_"_

Hope looked at hers and groaned. "I got Cyclone, Blade Knight, Getsufuuma, Holy Barrier-Mirror Force, and Cry of the Living Dead. Both of my monsters go to attack. (1600/1000) (1700/1200) Blade Knight attacks your Cat, and Getsufuuma attacks you directly. Then I lay one card down, and end."

Hope: 8000

Satan: 6300

_"I have used my Black Cat's effect to place a trap at the top of my deck. Now I draw, and play Jar of Greed. Then I play three cards face down."_

"I will attack you directly with my two monsters!"

_"Attack Nullification."___

"I see. I also summon Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0)"

_"Tidal Wave is activated, as is Ouija Board."_

Hope shrugged. "I expected that… I end my turn."

_"I retrieve Death Message E from my deck."_

Hope gasped as she felt herself weaken again.

_"I lay another card down."_

"I play Cry of the Living Dead on Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0) Attack!"

_"Attack Nullification again."___

"That's alright, because now I sacrifice my Goblins to summon Magical Giga Cyber! (2200/1200) Then I end."

_"Death Message A is retrieved. I lay one monster."_

Hope looked at her next card, and smiled. "I lay one card down, and summon Severing Samurai! (800/500) Severing Samurai attacks!"

_"You have attacked Mask of Darkness. _(900/400) _He allows me to take one trap from my Cemetery."_

"Not with Severing Samurai! He negates all reverse effects! Now, Magical Giga Cyber, attack directly!"

Hope: 8000

Satan: 4100

_"Get Death Message T, then lay one monster. I also play Thunderbolt, destroying all of your creatures. End turn."_

Hope struggled, but could not stand. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath. 

"Gotta… draw… something good…" She looked at her card. "Faith… I play Angel's Gift." She looked at her cards. "Thank God… I discard Cyclone and Holy Barrier-Mirror Force. Now I… summon Retrained Elven Swordsman… (1400/1200) I'm glad Max… gave that to me… I equip him with… The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade! And Lightning Blade! (3000/1200) Then… Raise Dead! Come forth, Warrior of the Sun! (2100/1400) Then I flip over Ceasefire Treaty… revealing your monster…"

_"My Black Cat…_ (500/300)_"_

Hope: 8000

Satan: 2600

"Then… it is over. Warrior… of the… Sun, attack! Retrained Elven Swordsman… finish him off!"

Hope: 8000

Satan: 0

Hope rose slowly as her strength return. She looked up into Satan's eyes, and was shocked. She had thought he would be furious, but instead… he laughed.

_"A game does not prove anything. You may have more skill than me, but in a battle, you cannot hope to live. Now die." _He held out his palm to her.

Hope flinched, waiting for him to strike. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes.

The orb that Satan had been holding was now glowing with a brilliant white light. He had dropped it, unable to hold on.

_"What is going on?!"___

**"You have broken the rules, Lucifer. And now you will reap the penalty."**

Hope turned to see a man approaching. He used a staff as a walking stick, and was covered with a brown robe, hiding his features.

Apparently, Satan recognized him.

_"You!" _he snarled.__

**"Yes, it is ****I.**** Lucifer, by challenging her to a game, you were putting up very high stakes. Her penalty would be death, but yours would be the loss of your body, since death is impossible for you."**

_"How is that possible? These souls were collected from other penalties! By right, they should be still supplied to me!"_

**"Some of them are… all of those with wicked hearts will remain with you. However, those that are good do not deserve to remain in Hell. They are not yours. So you cannot maintain hold on them. See?"**

The man beckoned to the orb. The light grew even more intense, then shot out. Balls of light went everywhere, all tearing away through the darkness.

But to Hope's amazement, twelve, individual lights shot out at once, appearing by Hope. Then, an intense flash. 

When she could see again, she was amazed at what she saw.

Gaston. Rue. Ruecian. Max. Olympion. Will. Neo. Claire. Perseus. Brandi. Mana. Demon Rue.

All of them were there. 

Rue opened his eyes slowly. "Ugh… I feel like I went through hell."

"We probably did," Max commented dryly as he rose.

Gaston ran over to Hope immediately. "Hope! Are you alright?"

She nodded slowly. "You… you guys… are alive?"

"I think I'm alive…" Neo said. Then he shuddered. "But wasn't my Soul Card torn in half?"

Will took out the card. "Doesn't look like it to me…"

"Thank the Lord…" Hope whispered.

_"This is impossible!" _Satan hissed. _"How can I lose all of my power… to a child? Impossible!"_

**"You did not lose to any child. This girl is very special… as are her friends." **Again, the man held out his hand. **"Lucifer, you cannot remain here. I will talk with you later."**

A bright flash of light later, and Satan was gone, leaving nothing behind.

**"Child," **he continued to the shocked audience. **"Do not think that your task is done. There is still more to accomplish. And to help you, I will grant you a priceless gift."** He took out a clear orb. Hope was not sure if she was relieved or not to see it empty.

**"It is not from me though. It comes from your own soul. This will hurt, but it will be brief." **He walked up to Hope, and to the shock of all present, plunged his arm into her body.

Hope couldn't even cry out, the pain was so intense. She felt like something was being ripped from her heart, a part that she needed.

Then it was over. She fell back, and was surprised that her skin was still intact. 

The man was holding a ball of light. He calmly put the orb into the same hand. The light was sucked into the orb. It began to glow fiercely, and everyone shielded their eyes.

**"Light cannot be without darkness. It must always be on balance." **He turned to Demon Rue, who looked more like a ghost than anything. Hope knew that once this was over, he and Rue would be sharing the same body again. 

**"I will need to take some of it."**

"Then take it," Demon Rue sneered. "I know when someone overpowers me. And what use do I have of it? I can always make more darkness."

**"Very well."**The man reached into Demon Rue, and a few seconds later, pulled out a ball of darkness. It too went into the orb. Another flash, and the orb was complete. It alternated from light to dark, and light to dark again, and again, on and on.

**"I cannot explain how to use this; that you must discover on your own."** He handed the orb to Hope. **"Use it wisely. Now, I must leave."**

"Wait!" Hope protested. "You haven't even said who you are!"

The man turned to her, and she silently thought that if he had his hood removed, he would have been smiling.

**"I think it goes unsaid. Farewell, and good luck."**

Then all went black.

* * *

Hope opened her eyes slowly, and sat up.

They were on the edge of the lake again. Everyone else was unconscious.

_Was it all a dream?_ Hope looked at her hand, and discovered that she still clutched the orb. _So it really happened…_

She stared in silence at the sun as it rose, a new day beginning to tear through the night.

Suddenly, she heard a hoot. She looked up to see a white owl. A golden crown was on its head, and it was flying towards the forest. It hooted again.

"What is it?" Hope wondered out loud.

Gaston had awoken by then as well. He smiled gently.

"The Owl That Brings Happiness."

**_THE END_**


	43. Author's Notes and Credits

***Author's Note and Credits***

Wow! Teknisk Wereld is actually done! Hard to believe that this was once just for fun… o_o Of course, I couldn't have done it alone! I owe a LOT of thanks to those that helped me! I will name them now:

Katal Blader: For Rue, Ruecian, Claire, Perseus, their decks, and Rue's battle axe. _

CyberTigerAngel: For Will, Neo, and Will's deck. And for his Redwall knowledge. And for pointing out a Makyura error.

HikotageNoInyou: For Sarius, Raid, the Child, Cyrus, Juno, and Zork. Also for their amazing pasts. What are those? You'll have to wait! _ He also proof-read much of my work. Thanks for pointing out my mistakes!

DarkChiWizard22: Geez, he's done a lot. Max, Olympion, Brandi, Mana, Randall, Jason, Admiral, Matt, Masque, and their past is all done by him. And their decks. Oh, and he came up with the descriptions for Possessed Max and Will, and Possessed Max's deck. He also pointed out several errors. All the way to the top dude! _ Oh, and now that I think about it, he's the one who made me write this. He said he didn't think I could write serious fics. Look who proved you wrong! *Gets shot* Oh, and he gave me my Retrained Elven Swordsman card. ^_^ Yeah, I'm in debt to you!

Julia, Samuel, and Toan: For being great friends! ^_^ Oh, and for your love of cows Toan. =P 

Caleb and ifrit: Thanks for doing really lame things in duels for me to comment on! _;;;

Edo's: His website has every translation I have used, and I am extremely grateful he made it!

Free Translations: For many of the names of the Generals of Hell.

Whoever the heck created Yu-Gi-Oh: Obvious!

All of my reviewers, here and on the Yu-Gi-Oh Social Board: Thanks for the positive remarks, and reading this whole thing! You guys and girls rule!

And, last and least:

Nokia: For creating the N-Gage for me to bash on!

Now, that's it. I'm done. Goodbye forever.

*Gets hit with various fruits* OW! What do you want now?

Oh, you don't like the ending? -_- Fine then. I'm creating a sequel! Happy now? Good. The sequel will explain many things, such as the orb, Demon Rue, Sarius, the Child, Juno, Max's past, and the man who was being tortured. Yeah, that one made you wonder, right? _ Much more on that in the sequel, so please stick around and read it!

There really isn't anything else to say, except thanks once again for reading this, and have a nice day! 

*Puts out sign that says, "The End"*

*Demon Rue runs by, being chased by…*

Kuribo: ^_^

Demon Rue: GET IT AWAY!

…Ok, now it's the end.


End file.
